Thursday, October 6, 2005
What Does It Mean to Be A Catholic?

Does it mean putting another title next to my name? Does it mean getting up early ever Sunday? Is it the same as other Christian religions?

No. Our society is living in a culture of death where lies spread because some prefer the darkness to the light. These people hate the Truth - the Truth that Jesus Christ started the Catholic Church (Matthew 16:18) and the Seven Sacraments of that Church. Through the ages the manipulations by others have taken the teachings of Christ and not simplified them but changed them! They call Christ liars!

I, however, do not blame anyone today at all. Above all, being Catholic is to love Christ completely. When we enter the Church in baptism we have our sins forgiven by the power of Christ working through His priests. This command he gave to His disciples at the end of the Gospel of Matthew: "All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age."

In this great Sacrament of baptism, we literally enter the Catholic Church and in turn become part of the Mystical Body of Christ. We are baptized into Christ's body and therefore salvation is possible. Salvation outside of baptism is unrealistic because salvation outside of baptism is available only to those that truly didn't know of Christ - not those that refused Him.

We as Catholics are not hypocrites. We know the Mass - the form of worship started by Christ where at every single Catholic Mass Christ, the Good Lord - is the bloodless sacrifice of the Cross. We remember His death as in the words of the Gospels: "Do this in memory of Me." And through the Mass we reach a question: Can't I just stay at home and pray the same?

No! Is God physically present in your room? No, but at the Mass at the very most solemn moment, by the power of God and through His teachings in the Gospel of John 6, the Bread and Wine truly become the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ not by the priest's power but God's power working through the priest.

We as Catholics are not idolaters and pray to statues and we don't worship Mary at all. We are not liars and wrongdoers but followers of Christ and His teachings before those came to corrupt them so that these anti-Christs might bring others down with them.

Look to Christ. So many people spend YEARS looking for life and its purpose, and in truth it only has one word: God. Look to God alone and trust in Him. Love Him who died for you and rose again so that you might live in His glory. Is Heaven easy? Certainly not, look to the lives of the saints and martyrs who died for their beliefs. Look to those in everyday life standing against the majority to support Christ's teachings and not trying to reason around opinions against the Church. Heaven is the narrow road that few shall find (Matthew 7:13)

Trust in God. He is there, waiting...Patiently in the Holy Eucharist for us to adore Him. In this year of the Eucharist may we grow more in love for our Savior and God and serve Him alone. That His not our way may be done.

The Council of Nicea (325 AD) wrote the following Profession of Faith. This is what Catholics believe. It should be solemnly proclaimed each Sunday Mass:
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, one in being with the Father. Through Him all things were made. For us men and our salvation He came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit, He was born of the Virgin Mary , and became man. For our sake He was crucified under Pontius Pilate; He suffered, died, and was buried. On the third day He rose again in fulfillment of the scriptures: He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son, He is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church. We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
Catholics also must never support abortion, embryonic stem cell research, homosexual marriage, human cloning, euthanasia, or artificial contraception. A Catholic must believe all dogmas of the Catholic Church declared over the past 2,000 years since.

For more information see Apologetic Posts. Are you, Interested in becoming Catholic?  If so, look at the online resources available through CatechismClass.com.

11 comment(s):

del_button October 6, 2005 at 10:32 PM
Anonymous said...

What a thoughful post. The one line that got me is that it is all about love. Loving God with all our being and loving our neighbors as ourselves. If all people followed this, you wouldn't have things like destroying church property or hurting others in the name of God...

del_button October 7, 2005 at 10:24 AM
Audrey Yu said...

If only ALL catholics think the same way... majority of them just take it lightly. I agree that being a Catholic is to love. When learning to love God's commandments, we learn to love our neighbours as well.

But being a catholic is never easy, isn't it?

God bless all faithful catholics throughout the world!

del_button October 26, 2009 at 2:20 AM
Anonymous said...

I was babtised catholic and belive there is a god...

But I am so for 'cloning'... I mean how cool would it be to clone jesus? pretty mad hey? then we could just ask him the truth!!! catch.

Prey for me?

del_button November 9, 2010 at 1:29 AM
Anonymous said...

yes i believe that being catholic is to love although all christians believe this as well so it should really be what is it to be christian. Also i don't think cloning Jesus is a good idea, it is not'mad', there is always a reason of why things are the way they are.............

del_button November 16, 2011 at 6:34 PM
Anonymous said...

I Agree when you say to trust in God because i believe trusting in god is the same as showing your love for him.

del_button January 26, 2012 at 4:22 AM
'mamotete mapeshoane said...

THank you God that i am a catholic, it is all my joy!. Surely, the post strengthed me a lot,off course i am part of Christ's body. love you my Saviour.

del_button September 13, 2012 at 8:36 PM
Anonymous said...

"Above all, being Catholic is to love Christ completely."

YES.

I should also point out that we learn to do this throughout our lifetime, and it happens bit by bit by bit: we not only partake in the Sacramental Life of the Church (yes, people, that means going to Confession regularly, else the Eucharist does not work as effectively in us as it could, and if our sins are mortal, then we eat and drink condemnation on ourselves), but we pray persistently for the grace to do this.

Loving Christ completely is not something that happens on our own strength. It happens not only through learning to get to know Christ, but also letting Him know us and get into every nook and cranny of our lives.

And no, being Catholic is never easy. But then again, nothing that is truly worth it is ever easy.

del_button March 20, 2013 at 4:14 PM
Anonymous said...

I was baptized and raised Catholic but since I became an adult I now believe in stem cell research,euthanasia, artificial contraception and don't practice many of the Catholic guidelines so I don't know what to consider myself anymore...Lost but have Faith !

del_button April 11, 2015 at 11:44 AM
Anonymous said...

Why is the catholic religion mostly about fear and not love. To say god will judge you is no different than how man responds to daily life and that god loves everyone including gays which were made by God just like you and me. I am not gay but I still love all humans. My girlfriend of 15 years is Catholic and I have not earned the title of being Catolic and she belittle me daily for this reason. If being Catolic means putting down good people due to a difference of growing up something is wrong with this approach. My girlfriend is far from perfect so what does God think of that. She doesnt go to church and bashes me for my beliefs or lack of beliefs. Not sure about the whole idea of only Catolics going to Heaven. Lost for words.

del_button April 13, 2015 at 8:25 AM
Matthew said...

Hello, thank you for the comment. There is certainly a time and a place for making mention of the fact that God will judge us and that certain actions will lead a soul to Hell, unless that soul repents. However, if your girlfriend does not even go to Mass, I would hardly consider her an authority on what the Church believes. After all, she will be judged for missing Sunday Mass and those are mortal sins. So please do not judge the Holy Catholic Faith by what one person says. Judge the Church by what She authoritatively teaches and by the virtues and lives of her saints.

God bless,

del_button February 24, 2018 at 5:33 PM
Anonymous said...

hi .-. this helped me with my Religion Assignment! Thanks

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