Why Are We Catholic?

In this postmodern and very secular world, many people might well ask: “Why are you Catholic?” “How does being a Catholic make a difference?” “Does being Catholic give life meaning?” “Does it offer hope?”

Some people today see Catholicism as something to recover from. There are some who believe that the Catholic Church is an outmoded relic of a bygone era, that any thinking person would leave it behind. Others see Catholicism as nothing more than a bunch or rules that inhibit true freedom. We are living in an age in which the message of Christ must be expressed in a challenging and convincing way to people who are slow to accept what in the past was easily accepted.

In a recent talk at a national conference, John Allen, the Vatican correspondent for CNN, made a very interesting remark. He said Pope Benedict XVI is determined to do everything in his power to communicate the message of Christ in all of its fullness to the world. The Pope sees this mission as vital for the future of civilization.

Pope Benedict is convinced that the message of Christ within the teachings of the Church is a message of hope for the world today, a world that in many ways has lost its bearings, a world that is unaware of the beauty and meaning of Christianity, a world that experiences a strong spiritual hunger and yet is suffused with the spiritual dryness of secularity and relativism.

In the midst of this confusion, the Pope regrets, says John Allen, the fact that the Church is known more for what it is against than for what it is in favor of ... that the full message of Christ contained in the teachings of the Catholic Church is not well known. So Pope Benedict intends to do what he can to communicate that message loud and clear.

On his recent visit to the United States, Pope Benedict stated, “Perhaps we have lost sight of this: In a society where the Church seems legalistic and ‘institutional’ to many people, our most urgent challenge is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God’s love.” The Pope’s first two encyclical letters, “God Is Love” and “On Christian Hope,” are a good beginning.

The Pope said to the young people and seminarians when he visited New York: “Dear friends, truth is not an imposition. Nor is it simply a set of rules. It is a discovery of the One Who never fails us, the One Whom we can always trust. In seeking truth, we come to live by belief because ultimately truth is a person: Jesus Christ. That is why authentic freedom is not an opting out. It is an opting in; nothing less than letting go of self and allowing oneself to be drawn into Christ’s very being for others.” In order to communicate this message, the Church must renew its commitment to the mission of Christ, to look outward, to evangelize the world, to spread the message of Christ to all nations.

“It is time,” the Pope said, “to put aside all anger and contention” inside the Church and embark on a fresh mission of evangelization in society. Pope Benedict also looked honestly at shortcomings in the Church, lamenting that some Catholics are not in line with Church teaching, even on the issue of abortion. But his solution, expressed to bishops, was a long-term program of religious education, not a set of short-term marching orders or penalties.

We as Catholics should be able to tell the world about the gift of our faith. As St. Peter tells us in his first letter to the early Church: “Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope.” (1 Peter 3:15). In order to do that, we ourselves must know our faith well.

In this diocese we are embarking on a kind of journey of hope that will begin with just such a long-term program of religious education. Renew International is an organization that has been producing faith formation programs used in parishes and dioceses for 30 years. Recently they have produced a program called “Why Catholic?” We have decided to adopt this program in the Diocese of Jefferson City.

The name “Why Catholic?” says a lot. The “Why Catholic?” program is a way for all of us to grow more mature in our faith, to learn the reason for our hope. The meaning and hope that flows from our Catholic faith is based on the reality that the truth we share is founded on a relationship with Jesus Christ. The small-group faith-sharing aspect of “Why Catholic?” is important in that it helps to make the teachings of the Church more personal. If Truth is a Person — Jesus Christ — then meeting that Person often happens best in a communal setting through which faith is shared. The small-group structure of “Why Catholic?” can aid in that process. In the months to come, you will hear more about this program as it is introduced to the diocese.

Support for The Catholic Missourian

Let me close this visit with a special appeal to all of you who are members of this great Diocese of Jefferson City. During the month of June, we ask you to renew your subscription to this, our diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Missourian. I rely on this journal to help keep us growing as the one Body of Christ in central and northeastern Missouri. Your support for this undertaking is crucial. Please use the envelope provided by your parish to renew your subscription. And please patronize our advertisers and let them know that you appreciate their use of our paper to get their message out.