What does it mean to be Catholic?

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

What does it mean to be Catholic?  In light of the naming of Tim Kaine as the Vice Presidential running mate for Hillary Clinton and his claims of being Catholic while also having a public record of voting pro-abortion, and in light of the current Vice President’s recent presiding over a “gay union,” one may wonder if these should approach to receive the Eucharist.  This begs the question, are we not supposed to be ecumenical and welcoming of other Christians and outlooks?  

If a person is Catholic, that person is also Christian.  You might think this goes without saying, but people will say either “I am Christian and not Catholic” or “I am Catholic and not Christian.”  If a person is a follower of Christ, then they are “Christian.” To be Catholic means to be part of the one, holy, apostolic, catholic (universal) Church as founded by Christ upon Peter and the Apostles with the Pope (Peter) at the head, the Bishops (successors of the Apostles), in union with Peter, over their dioceses.  The Bishops are assisted by the priests and deacons of the Church (the rest of the clergy).  The clergy serve the laity, who are to go out and proclaim the Good News through the lives they lead as they bring the Gospel to bear in their families, communities and work places.  But what drives all this, what is at the heart of all this is the Kerygma, “(from the Greek keryssein, to proclaim, and keryx, herald) refers to the initial and essential proclamation of the gospel message…To put it simply, the kerygma is the very heart of the gospel, the core message of the Christian faith that all believers are [called] to proclaim,” and the encounter with the person of Jesus Christ.  Pope Benedict XVI taught that, “Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction.” So, taking a step back from writing on the liturgy this weekend, I would like to place before you the basic question is once again, “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15, Mark 8:29, Luke 9:20)

Scripture tells us: Jesus is the Christ, the only Son of God, the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.  He is the Savior of the world, the Lord of lords, the King of kings, the Lord of heaven and earth, the Word made flesh, the splendor of the Father, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, who was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  He is God made Man, the God-Man, who received His humanity through Mary, and entered into our very existence.

Chew on this for a week.  Next weekend I will develop this more based on the Creed and as found in paragraphs 422 – 682 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church as we seek to answer the question, “Who do you say that I am?”…to be continued.

Ut in omnibus glorificetur Deus – That in all things God may be glorified,

Fr. Isaac Haywiser, O.S.B.
Administrator