What Are Catholics All About?

Sometimes when I read the vitriol of anti-Catholic (or anti-Christian) sentiment on the blogosphere, I find myself wondering, “Have they ever met an authentic, prayerful, Jesus-loving Catholic? Do they know what we’re all about?”  I wonder if they knew what we were striving for, what we have set our hearts on, they might realize that we’re a lot like them. With C.S. Lewis, they might discover that, “When all is said about the divisions of Christendom, there remains, by God’s mercy, an enormous common ground.”

This year our parish community sought to answer that very question, “What are we all about as Catholics?” What are the “majors” that we’re majoring in? What are the guiding values of our Catholic faith and family? I thought you might be interested what this Catholic parish has identified as its most defining principles:

1.     Seeking Jesus

We, the members of Saint Paul the Apostle Parish, baptized and confirmed in faith, pursue an ongoing, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  This relationship is strengthened by the Word of God, the Sacraments of the Church, and a consistent lifestyle of prayer, study and action. We love Jesus, seek the will of God in all things and rely on the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We celebrate the Sunday Eucharist as the summit and source of our Christian journey.  We seek Jesus and embrace all of these guiding values out of our commitment to the Catholic Church and her teachings.

2.    Building Relationships

We are all about relationship. Our relationship with God guides, informs and overflows into our relationships with others. As God pursues a deep, personal relationship with us, we intentionally pursue loving relationships with those around us so that the presence of God can be known and a civilization of love can be built.

We work to build up the Body of Christ, the Church, through humble and positive interactions with others.  We know our weaknesses and thus can identify with those who are struggling.  We seek reconciliation and understanding.  We welcome constructive criticism and use it to improve ourselves and the parish community.  We seek open, honest and transparent communication, going to the proper sources when there is a question or a concern.  We are open to dialogue and seek to correct misinformation in a spirit of truth and love.

3.     Sharing the Gospel

We know the overarching story of God and can articulate that basic message of the Gospel to others.  We have reflected on our own stories of faith and actively participate in evangelization by relating our story to others in a natural and pastorally sensitive way.  Finally, we can identify how our story and God’s story intersect to advance the mission of God in the world today.

4.    Embracing Mission 

We personally embrace our call to love God, love others and make disciples.  The Church doesn’t have a mission, the Church is mission (Mt 28:18-20). This mission is evangelization. Embracing evangelization as the deepest identity of the Church, we understand that all of us are evangelists and are called to seek the lost as Jesus did. As intentional disciples of Christ, we actively participate in evangelization by helping others to know, love and serve the Lord.

5.    Praying Always

We are people of prayer. We embrace deep, personal, transformative prayer as the foundation of our life in the Spirit and our service to others in the name of Christ. We are comfortable praying for and with others. Attuned to those who are hurting or struggling, we pray for one another, for our parish community and for the world at large.

 

6.    Studying Faithfully 

We are committed to study and lifelong formation through exploration of the Scriptures, Sacred Tradition, and the Church’s theology, history and spirituality, to help us on our journey of discipleship.

7.    Acting for the Kingdom

We are not only people of prayer, but people of action. Our community is committed to using our gifts to share the Gospel, to make disciples, to serve the needy, to work for justice and to build up the kingdom of God.

8.    Fostering Unity

We are one body in Christ. Our community understands the importance of fostering healthy relationships within the parish community and beyond.  We realize that we are all connected and that the Gospel is intimately personal but not private. Knowing that our unity in Christ is a powerful witness to the Good News, we love one another and commit ourselves to united service to the world.

9.    Connecting to the Community

We are faithful to the Sunday (or Saturday night) gathering of the Eucharist at St. Paul the Apostle Parish realizing that God has called us to this community. We recognize the importance of our presence together and joyfully offer our gifts to advance our mission as a parish.

10. Giving Generously 

We support the parish by giving generously of our time, talent and treasure to build up the parish, the local Body of Christ.  We seek to utilize our gifts to support the life of the parish and to serve the wider needs of our community.

I'm curious about the reactions of both my Protestant and Catholic brothers and sisters. How do these foundational values stack up with yours? What happened to your heart as you read through these values? Did you find yourself feeling closer or farther away? Do you see a great unity in the essential tenants and directions? Do you sense the uniting threads of the body of Christ? I think St. Augustine said it well:

“In the essentials – unity.
In the non-essentials – liberty.
In all things – charity.”

*Many thanks to Fr. Tony Herold, our friend, priest and pastoral leader, and to my friends and colleagues at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church. I am honored to stand with you in the kingdom-building work!