what does it mean to be Catholic today

Catholic.
A word that means so many things, carries infinite connotation in today's world.
Catholic.
A Catholic is Christian. So Christ is my Lord. That in itself carries a truck load of baggage. With Christ as Lord I am called to action. To sacrifice. To be Christ for others. How?
Catholic.
There is mass, there is prayer, there is Eucharist. Not any of these things are set as idea for the capital "C" church especially. But each has a Catholic idea and implementation. A worship, unique in ritual and style. A prayer (more like a few hundred) recited word for word, around the world, in every language heard. A Eucharist, a person not a symbol, our God - divine made flesh - human in bread - matter.
All of this... Catholic
Catholic. Universal, community, God and Man, a kiss in the temporal and transcendent captured in the moment: "This is my body."
Church
Catholic.

we cannot do it on our own

We cannot do it on our own.


What would a football team be without an offensive line? There would be no one to block, no protection for the quarter back. No matter how well the receivers ran their routes, the ball would never make it to them. What if there was no defense? The other team would only score until there was no way you could win. All parts of the team are necessary for the team to succeed.


If there was a band, but there was no drummer, there would be no beat. If there was no lead instrument there would be no melody. With no backup players or voices the sound would be bare. The audience would not understand the message of the lyrics, unless there was someone to sing them. We need all parts in order to see and understand the whole.


So is the Kingdom of God. To realize the Kingdom here on Earth there must be participation on all accounts. As individuals we can only do so much, but as a family, as a community as a Church, acting together there is so much we can accomplish. We must act with Christ’s direction and as Hid body work towards the betterment of others and for the world. Even as individuals, we must act as one following the coach, listening to the director.


If the team is playing, but only for their own gain, the success, the win will never be accomplished. If a band is together and playing, but refuses to work together in harmony then the audience loses the focus and leaves confused. To succeed we must work together.


This is what Christ calls for from his Church. As a community as one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church, we are called to work together in order to bring about the Kingdom of God. Since we are each parts of the body, and so we have a responsibility to work as members of the body. As individuals we have our own talents, and we are called to give them up to the Lord. Our talents are not our own, but are spring boards to draw others into Christ’s body and to help them give of their talents also. That is what we must be in the Body of Christ. A sharer of our talents, because each one of us, though different, is vital to the body. We cannot bring about the Kingdom on our own, but by the grace of God we can come closer to its realization and we pray that one day we may be able to witness the fullness of the Body of Christ in heaven.

Sense of Style

It is a statement, a necessity, a style and an identity. Without them, we are deemed improper. We have been told since the beginning of our lives to be covered, to be clothed. It is usually the first thing we do in the day. We dress, protecting our vulnerability and to avoid the shame of nakedness that was a gift from our first father and mother, Adam and Eve. But two thousand years ago a new style came into the world. One that is more powerful and meaningful than the skinny jeans that are worn by the tweens at the mall. More radical than the poodle-skirted fifties and disco-panted seventies. Well, at least it is supposed to be more powerful and meaningful, more radical. But we often forget to put that outfit on.

Jeans, Tshirts, shoes, blouses, socks, sweatshirts, button downs, even scarves. Some clothes are necessary – no shirt, no shoes means no service. Others are decoration or outfit completers, the perfect accessory, hat, or tie. But each has a purpose. Clothes cover us, offers us protection, it is a practical arrangement society has made. Clothes also are used as identifiers. Plaid skirts from the private high school, embroidered company polos, and other styles that change from continent to continent, from region to region, even from town to town, all of these are used by the public to distinguish who the person is, what they are about, where they are going. The silent communication of clothes is present and affects us, perhaps more than it should. We won’t forget the brand named sunglasses, the perfect shoes, or new jeans when we dress in the morning. But what about the style that should be the hurricane force in our lives?

Patience, joy, wisdom, generosity, purity, fidelity, mercy, even kindness. Virtues, for each individual, some are harder to wear than others, but that is what the body of Christ completes. We are covered by the invisible grace of Christ; we wear the grace in our actions. They will know we are Christian by our love, by our work, by our interactions, by what we wear. But we are called to wear something more than a Jesus shirt. Each person has their own style, their own gifts, the patience of a button down, the wisdom of a raincoat, the fidelity of your favorite shoes. Our love for God should fit in our lives as easily and comfortably as our favorite pair of jeans. It should be something that we turn to, that we are recognized by. Our style of Christ may be unique to our talents, but it should never be unnoticed.

Clothes are the outermost part of our identity. We are clothed with Christ. But, he is not simply the over coat that covers our live and keeps us warm. Instead, the cloth of Christ comes from the innermost part of our identity. Each week at Holy Mass we invite the creator of our souls into what He created. It is from there that we are given our new clothes and sense of style. We can choose to be transformed, and in a way that is much more permanently than Extreme Makeover. The deep transformation, and healing, and growth of the soul is so strong that it must pervade throughout the body, the mind, the actions.

We are forever clothed in Christ, but still must choose the outfit. It should be the first thing we do each day, cloth ourselves in Christ, and put on virtue, growing, and showing His love.