Monday, March 01, 2004
As the inaugual post of this new blog, I thought I would post an essay entitled "What it Means to be Catholic." This was originally a transcript of a speech I gave to a local Toastmasters group a few years ago. This will set the paradigm of this blog's mission.
What Does it Mean to be Catholic?
What does it mean to be Catholic? It goes without saying that
one of the chief aims of Catholic apologetics and evangelization
is to give a persuasive answer to this question by providing
scriptural, historical, and logical support for any given
Catholic doctrine or practice.
Personal experience has revealed to me that, in discussing the
Catholic faith with others, openness to these doctrinal
arguments are in many cases better facilitated by first giving
a basic overview of what being a Catholic means.
It is important from the outset that in explaining what we mean
that we first define the key terms that we use, which in this case
is the word “ Catholic “. The word “ Catholic “ is a Greek word
meaning universal which, according to the Webster’s
New World Dictionary (1990 Third Edition), comes from two
Greek words Kata meaning complete and Holos meaning
whole.
Although the word Catholic is not found anywhere in Scripture,
the universal nature, or catholicity, of the Church is clearly
expressed in the New Testament.
For example, in 1 Cor. 12:12, St. Paul states:
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with
Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--
Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of
one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but
of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I
do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less
a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am
not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make
it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye,
where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an
ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God
arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he
chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be?
As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
Here we have a description of a body of believers diverse in
culture, talents, and functions, yet one in Christ; therefore
one in belief. This is the essence of universality, where the
many different parts are harmoniously held together in
unity. This unity is authoritatively safeguarded by the
hierarchal Church, instituted by Christ himself, entrusted to
the Apostles (Matt 18:18) and to their successors,
the Catholic bishops and in a special way to Peter,
the head of the Apostles (Matt.16:18), and to his
successor, the bishop of Rome, i.e. the Pope.
It is with this confidence that St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was a
disciple of the Apostle John, can say in his Letter to the
Symrneans in the year 100 A.D.:
“ Where the bishop is there is the Catholic Church.”
Regarding the primacy of the Roman Church (and by logical
extension, its bishop), he says:
Ignatius...to the church also which holds the presidency, in the
location of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of
honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success,
worthy of sanctification, and because you the presidency in love,
named after Christ and named after the Father.
(Letter to the Romans 1:1 [A.D. 110]).
The quote from the Letter to the Smyrneans is the earliest
written account we know of using the word “ Catholic “ to
describe the Church. The context of this letter is rather clear
in that his hearers are already familiar with the term Catholic.
Moreover, since this statement was made in the beginning of
the second century, it is possible, if not likely, that the apostles
themselves were familiar with this term as well.
Unfortunately, the universality of the Church is not so easy to
see today considering that there are thousands of different
Christian denominations at odds with one another over such
important issues as what is necessary for salvation, whether
or not Scripture is the sole authority of the Church, the nature
of the Lord’s Supper, and many other things. Such discord is
not what Our Lord intended for his Church as expressed by
his prayer for unity in John 17:20-21:
“ I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in
me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. “
These divisions are the result of many difficult circumstances
that have given rise to many tragic misunderstandings. Here
it is fitting to recall the well-known statement of the late
Archbishop Fulton Sheen that: “ Not one hundred people
oppose the Roman Catholic Church but millions oppose
what they mistakenly think the Roman Catholic Church is. “
The causes of these misunderstandings, complex and nuanced
as they are, are due in part to the scandalous behaviors of
individual Catholics, some of whom have been members of her
hierarchy. This was recognized by Vatican II in its decree on
ecumenism:
For although the Catholic Church has been endowed with all
divinely revealed truth and with all means of grace, yet its
members fail to live by them with all the fervor that they should,
so that the radiance of the Church's image is less clear in the
eyes of our separated brethren and of the world at large, and
the growth of God's kingdom is delayed.
(Unitatis redintegratio #4)
Pope John Paul II has repeated this sentiment throughout his pontificate:
The Catholic Church acknowledges and confesses the
weaknesses of her members, conscious that their sins
are so many betrayals of and obstacles to the
accomplishment of the Savior's plan. Because she feels
herself constantly called to be renewed in the spirit of the
Gospel, she does not cease to do penance.
( Encyclical Letter Ut Unim Sint, They May All Be
One 1995. Introduction)
It must be understood, however, that these weaknesses,
scandalous though they may be, do not in anyway negate
the need for the authority of the Church anymore than, say,
corruption on the part of certain police officers negates the
need for the authoritative protection provided by the police
department.
Furthermore, humanity, by its very nature, has a hierarchy built
into it, as is manifested in the family, in society, and in
government. And since human nature comes to its fulfillment in
its relationship to its creator, that is to say its religious
expression, this is even more true regarding the Church.
So, to answer the question “ What does it mean to be
Catholic? “ To be Catholic simply means to fully accept
the universal truth about God and man and to give loyal
submission to the authority instituted to safeguard it—
even in the face of misunderstandings and the worst of
scandals.
What Does it Mean to be Catholic?
What does it mean to be Catholic? It goes without saying that
one of the chief aims of Catholic apologetics and evangelization
is to give a persuasive answer to this question by providing
scriptural, historical, and logical support for any given
Catholic doctrine or practice.
Personal experience has revealed to me that, in discussing the
Catholic faith with others, openness to these doctrinal
arguments are in many cases better facilitated by first giving
a basic overview of what being a Catholic means.
It is important from the outset that in explaining what we mean
that we first define the key terms that we use, which in this case
is the word “ Catholic “. The word “ Catholic “ is a Greek word
meaning universal which, according to the Webster’s
New World Dictionary (1990 Third Edition), comes from two
Greek words Kata meaning complete and Holos meaning
whole.
Although the word Catholic is not found anywhere in Scripture,
the universal nature, or catholicity, of the Church is clearly
expressed in the New Testament.
For example, in 1 Cor. 12:12, St. Paul states:
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the
members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with
Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--
Jews or Greeks, slaves or free--and all were made to drink of
one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but
of many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I
do not belong to the body," that would not make it any less
a part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because I am
not an eye, I do not belong to the body," that would not make
it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye,
where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an
ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God
arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he
chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be?
As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
Here we have a description of a body of believers diverse in
culture, talents, and functions, yet one in Christ; therefore
one in belief. This is the essence of universality, where the
many different parts are harmoniously held together in
unity. This unity is authoritatively safeguarded by the
hierarchal Church, instituted by Christ himself, entrusted to
the Apostles (Matt 18:18) and to their successors,
the Catholic bishops and in a special way to Peter,
the head of the Apostles (Matt.16:18), and to his
successor, the bishop of Rome, i.e. the Pope.
It is with this confidence that St. Ignatius of Antioch, who was a
disciple of the Apostle John, can say in his Letter to the
Symrneans in the year 100 A.D.:
“ Where the bishop is there is the Catholic Church.”
Regarding the primacy of the Roman Church (and by logical
extension, its bishop), he says:
Ignatius...to the church also which holds the presidency, in the
location of the country of the Romans, worthy of God, worthy of
honor, worthy of blessing, worthy of praise, worthy of success,
worthy of sanctification, and because you the presidency in love,
named after Christ and named after the Father.
(Letter to the Romans 1:1 [A.D. 110]).
The quote from the Letter to the Smyrneans is the earliest
written account we know of using the word “ Catholic “ to
describe the Church. The context of this letter is rather clear
in that his hearers are already familiar with the term Catholic.
Moreover, since this statement was made in the beginning of
the second century, it is possible, if not likely, that the apostles
themselves were familiar with this term as well.
Unfortunately, the universality of the Church is not so easy to
see today considering that there are thousands of different
Christian denominations at odds with one another over such
important issues as what is necessary for salvation, whether
or not Scripture is the sole authority of the Church, the nature
of the Lord’s Supper, and many other things. Such discord is
not what Our Lord intended for his Church as expressed by
his prayer for unity in John 17:20-21:
“ I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in
me through their word, that they may all be one; even as thou,
Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us, so
that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. “
These divisions are the result of many difficult circumstances
that have given rise to many tragic misunderstandings. Here
it is fitting to recall the well-known statement of the late
Archbishop Fulton Sheen that: “ Not one hundred people
oppose the Roman Catholic Church but millions oppose
what they mistakenly think the Roman Catholic Church is. “
The causes of these misunderstandings, complex and nuanced
as they are, are due in part to the scandalous behaviors of
individual Catholics, some of whom have been members of her
hierarchy. This was recognized by Vatican II in its decree on
ecumenism:
For although the Catholic Church has been endowed with all
divinely revealed truth and with all means of grace, yet its
members fail to live by them with all the fervor that they should,
so that the radiance of the Church's image is less clear in the
eyes of our separated brethren and of the world at large, and
the growth of God's kingdom is delayed.
(Unitatis redintegratio #4)
Pope John Paul II has repeated this sentiment throughout his pontificate:
The Catholic Church acknowledges and confesses the
weaknesses of her members, conscious that their sins
are so many betrayals of and obstacles to the
accomplishment of the Savior's plan. Because she feels
herself constantly called to be renewed in the spirit of the
Gospel, she does not cease to do penance.
( Encyclical Letter Ut Unim Sint, They May All Be
One 1995. Introduction)
It must be understood, however, that these weaknesses,
scandalous though they may be, do not in anyway negate
the need for the authority of the Church anymore than, say,
corruption on the part of certain police officers negates the
need for the authoritative protection provided by the police
department.
Furthermore, humanity, by its very nature, has a hierarchy built
into it, as is manifested in the family, in society, and in
government. And since human nature comes to its fulfillment in
its relationship to its creator, that is to say its religious
expression, this is even more true regarding the Church.
So, to answer the question “ What does it mean to be
Catholic? “ To be Catholic simply means to fully accept
the universal truth about God and man and to give loyal
submission to the authority instituted to safeguard it—
even in the face of misunderstandings and the worst of
scandals.
