While some, like me choose to live a life defined by Catholicism, many are born into the faith. As such, it’s no surprise that some Catholics don’t fully comprehend what the religion is about. Yes, they know the Caticisum and physical movements involved with Catholic Traditions (sign of the cross) and all the words in the Rosary. But they don't seem to grasp the true meanings behind the doctrine, traditions and prayers. So what does it mean to be Catholic?When the time drew near for David to die, he gave a charge to Solomon his son. “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go." (1 Kings 2:1 - 3 NIV)
As
simple as this question may seem, it’s something that many of us don’t
really know the answer to. Because being Catholic means more than just
reciting the rosary, believing in saints, or going to Mass every Sunday.
In fact, there is no single definition that can define what a Catholic
is.
Look around you right now. God made us all different. If you
asked a dozen Catholics what it means to be Catholic, you would get a
dozen different answers. One article defines being Catholic as a continuous personal encounter with Christ that renews our spirit. While another
says that being Catholic means sensing God’s presence and power in and
around us. But these definitions do not fully encapsulate the essence of being a Catholic. To really understand what it means to be Catholic, let’s first define what a Catholic is.
Defining Catholicism
The
word “Catholic” came from a Greek term that means “through the whole”.
It can also mean something that is “universal”, “worldwide”, or
“all-inclusive”. The first recorded use of the term was in St. Ignatius
of Antioch’s letter to the Smyrneans. In there, he wrote that:
"wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."
I
didn't become a real Catholic right away. I went through RCIA. My wife
Lolita was my sponsor. At that time, I went more to learn than to
actually become a Catholic. Some of the things that bothered me was
Mary, the Rosary and prayer books.
What does this mean for us?
During Jesus’ ministry, he emphasized the importance of loving God and loving others regardless of who they are. He showed it himself when he talked with the Samaritan woman in the well, dined with sinners, and preached to the Gentiles.
This
is why one of the basic tenets of Catholicism is the universality of
God’s love. Catholics come from all corners of the world. We speak
different languages, have widely varying cultures, and live very
different lives. Yet, we are united in God’s love – a love so great that
He sacrificed His only son so that our sins may be forgiven.
The Difference Between Christians and Catholics
There’s
a common misconception that Catholics are not Christians. While
non-Christians tend to think that “Christians” and “Catholics” are the
same.
All Catholics are Christians but not all Christians are
Catholics. The term “Catholic” usually refers to members of the Roman
Catholic Church. While “Christians” refer to anyone who believes in
Christ regardless of their religious affiliation.
There are several things that set Catholics apart from other Christians such as:
the
use of symbolism in expressing our faith; such as statues, pictures,
rosaries, etc. which were born out of the need to minister to those who
could not read or write; practicing the Holy Sacraments as Jesus taught
his disciples, having a standard liturgy, the belief in the communion of
saints just as they did in biblical times.
What Do Catholics Believe In?
Every religion has its own core set of beliefs and teachings. Here are some of the tenets that define the Catholic faith:
The Trinity
One of the most basic Catholic doctrines is the Trinity: that there is one God manifested in three persons:
1. The Father, Who Is The Creator;
Catholics believe in God, the loving Father, and Creator. We believe that His love is overflowing and limitless.
2. The Son, Who Is The Redeemer
Catholics
believe that God sent his own beloved Son, Jesus Christ. The Redeemer,
our Lord, and Savior, who suffered and died on the cross, rose from the
dead to save us from our sins, and gave us the gift of eternal life.
3. and the Holy Spirit, Who Is The Sanctifier.
Catholics
believe in the Holy Spirit and the powerful presence that it gives to
the church. Provided by the Lord, Jesus Christ, to the Church at
Pentecost, the Holy Spirit lets us live a righteous and faithful life.
It acts as a comforter, especially in times of our trials.
Christ’s Teachings
Like all Christians, the Catholic faith puts much emphasis on the teachings of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In
the Old Testament, God gave us ten commandments to follow. Jesus, in
the New Testament, summed those up into two: to love God above all else
and to love others as we love ourselves. Through his parables and
preaching, he also taught us to practice forgiveness and mercy. These
teachings form the core of the Catholic church’s dogma which every faithful must strive to follow.
Sacraments
Catholics
worship, praise, and follow God by living a sacramental life. We
believe that the sacraments bring us up close and personal with God. For
example, the bread and wine in the Holy Eucharist is more than just a
symbol of receiving the body and blood of Christ. It’s about communing
with God and being one with Him, after all, we were created in his
image.
Applying The Scriptures in Our Daily Lives
To
be able to follow God and live a righteous life, Catholics acknowledge
the importance of reading and practicing the teachings in the Holy
Bible.
Bearing Witness to God
Like how Christ
endured suffering and rejections, Catholics preach the word of God and
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In a world where the values and teachings
are often contrary to what God and Jesus say, Catholics speak up for
what we believe to be right and true.
The Communion of Saints
This
is what most people often misunderstood about us Catholics. And even
some Catholics misunderstood the values of believing in the communion of
saints. The latter part of the Nicene Creed also concisely sums up this
belief.
But when we say we believe in the communion of saints,
that doesn’t mean that we tend to think of them as equal to God and
Christ. We are connected to our Christian family through the Holy
Spirit. We don’t worship our brothers and sisters but we do respect them
and ask them to pray for us. The Bible says that the prayer of a holy
person is very powerful. Saints are holy people who can pray for us.
They are an instrument for us to be more connected to God and feel His
eternal love.
So What Does It Mean to be Catholic?
As
mentioned, there is no single phrase or sentence that can define the
Catholic faith. If you ask Catholics right now about what it means to be
Catholic, you’ll surely get varying answers. But for me, being a
Catholic means fulfilling the mission that Christ set for humanity: to
love God and love all others. Being a Catholic is a life-long and
continuous encounter with God. It’s about living our lives as Christ’s disciples and as living witnesses to His divine grace.
I
grew up in a Baptist home. We (my parents, sisters and I) went to
Sunday School and the adult "Church" service afterward, every Sunday.
Then, again every Sunday, about 1:00pm, the Church doors were locked
until about 8:00am the next Sunday. Once in a while there was a "Prayer
Meeting" on a Wednesday evening. The rest of the week you were on your
own to battle human temptations of what looked good, tasted good or felt
good. Temptations aimed at your mind and body.
My parents told
me the Church services on Sunday were to help me focus my life on the
ways that Jesus taught us when he was here. I can tell you that as a
kid, a re-focus once a week didn't do me much good. I got even worse
when I enlisted in the Navy. The culture of the military can corrupt a
man fairly quickly. If one isn't careful, it causes booze and women to
flow freely. Especially when he only re-focuses his life once a week.
Other temptations such as asking if God really exists, can come from
surviving dangerous situations or combat when you hear the screams of
the dying, and know there's nothing you can do to help.
My
wife and I try to go to Mass every day now. I still sin and I can still
be corrupted. Partaking of the sacrament every day has done a lot to
build up my mental and spiritual strengths to fight the temptations that
earthly life throws at me every day. The traditions followed during
Mass, some that go all the way back to Abraham, are daily reminders of
the Saints that came before me, living a life of pain, hardship and
sorrow, yet they still would not betray the God that created them.
My
parents didn't want me to use prayer books. They said I shouldn’t
depend on prayers written by others and even less on recited repetitive
prayers, such as the Rosary. Rather, I should pray from the heart. Of
course, we should pray from the heart. But, we also should not be
surprised to find our hearts and minds, when at prayer, sometimes need
the encouragement and guidance of holy men and women who have left
behind prayers that beautifully express God’s merciful love and promote
the growth and development of our devotion. It is also important that in
our private prayer we should use the vocabulary of faith and devotion
common to all through the ages and across the globe.
Catholic
prayer books, prayers we recite at Mass and other spiritual events,
help us to discover how prayers drawn from the scriptures, rooted in the
Liturgy, and flowing from the hearts of the holy, wise, and the
learned, help us in our journey to God. They can also renew the joy and
hope within us that our faith gives us through God’s love.
The
Rosary started out as a school for me. It was a place to start learning
the Bible. The mysteries of each of the decades are the major important
events in the Bible. By following the mysteries I'm following the life
of Christ. By memorizing the Rosary, I'm permanently embedding the life
of Christ in my heart mind and sole. By praying the Rosary I'm receiving
strength of mind and heart to overcome the daily temptations of life.
I'm also praising God and asking for his forgiveness. Today, the Rosary
is something that helps me to filter out all the earthly things in my
life and concentrate on communing with God.
Today, a custom I
follow when praying the Rosary is to meditate on each of the mysteries
while my mouth proclaims the Hail Marys and my fingers traverse the
beads. Meditation to me consists of focusing my mind, heart and sole on
the mystery and renewing my personal commitment to the point that is
embedded in the mystery. For example, lets take the first mystery, the
Annunciation. the announcement of the birth of Jesus to Mary:
Mary
at that time was betrothed to Joseph. In those days men and women were
betrothed when they were engaged to be married. This usually took place a
year or more before marriage. From the time of betrothal the woman was
regarded as the lawful wife of the man to whom she was betrothed ( Deuteronomy 28:30 ; Judges 14:2 Judges 14:8 ; Matthew 1:18-21
). The year of engagement was so that the husband could go away and
build a house for his new family. In those days, normally, if a woman
became pregnant during the engagement, she was considered a whore and
taken to the edge of town and stoned to death.
Mary knew the
consequences of her pregnancy but she still said “I am the Lord’s
servant, May your word to me be fulfilled.” (Luke 1:38).
Mary's
actions are what is conveyed to me in my meditation. No mater what the
consequences, I must fulfill the Lord's word to me.
It helps me
to understand the Lord's words in the Bible if I know the circumstances
surrounding the words. The mysteries in the Rosary is a good place to
start studying and researching those circumstances.
I don't
always achieve meditation, it's not easy. It takes a lot of mental and
spiritual strength filter out all the earthly stuff from my heart mind
and sole. It helps to read about the history of the mystery, and to
learn about the culture of the society around the mystery. All of that
helps me to understand what God is trying to teach me through the
Rosary...And the daily readings.