How can you tell if someone is Catholic…a Christian? Jesus encourages us to be a city set on a mountain for all to see, a light for all to see. We are not to hide our faith. By our actions we glorify our heavenly Father, according to Jesus (Matthew 5:13-16). So what are these actions that glorify the Father and make it clear to everyone that we are Christian and Catholic?
The Catholic tradition is rich in practices and symbols that arise from our faith. When you watch a football game or a soccer match, as a goal is scored the Catholic player will often make a sign of the cross. That is a sure give away of his faith tradition. A Protestant player might kneel and point heavenward or a Moslem player prostrate himself toward Mecca but the Catholic player will make the sign of the cross. It is simply in his blood. He’s been doing it since he was no more than a toddler and fresh out of pampers. If he passes in front of a Church, he will make the sign of the cross. If he hears an ambulance, he will make the sign of the cross.
Novenas are a pretty clear sign also that someone is Catholic. Every night of the week in the CNMI there is a novena going on in a parish church or in someone’s yard. Most novenas relate to the death of a relative but people will have a novena for a special intention or to honor a promise made to Christ or the Blessed Mother. Usually the novena involves saying a rosary but other prayers can be used, as well as offering a novena of Masses. Novenas are especially popular because they combine prayer and worship with the gathering of friends and relatives.
When I was in grade school, our teacher made sure that we made First Friday communion every month. She explained that if we made a novena Masses and Communion every First Friday that we would be assured of an opportunity for confession and anointing of the sick prior to our death. It seemed to be almost a guaranteed “free pass” into heaven, so we did our best to make the novena of nine First Fridays. I find it fascinating that now, as a deacon, I take First Friday communion to the sick and shut-ins in my parish.
Many of us have personal devotions that are an important part of our spiritual life. We will spend fifteen or twenty minutes reading Scripture each day or say the rosary. We might take time to sit quietly for a few minutes and meditate or do centering prayer. Some of us might read from the Lives of the Saints for a few minutes, or enjoy a chapter from a book by a contemporary spiritual author. These are all excellent spiritual disciplines and such devotional practices are to be encouraged, though they have an appropriate time and place.
The Catholic Church is a religious tradition that is sacramental. That is, it emphasizes the importance of public and communal prayer in its worship. There is certainly room for individual, private prayer in the Catholic tradition but priority is given to the public and communal forms of worship. For example, the highest form of worship in the Catholic tradition is the Eucharistic celebration; that is, the Mass. The Mass is normally celebrated in public by a worshiping community. As the Mass is being celebrated, everyone who is present should participate in that celebration with full, conscious and focused attention. Those participating in the Mass are the Church present and worshiping God as the People of God and the Body of Christ. They are worshiping as a community for the glory of the Father and the benefit of the community.
The Mass is not the place for private devotions. It is a bit like being invited to a party and instead of joining in with the rest of the people, you sit in the corner, eat only the food you brought for yourself, ignore your host and everyone else at the party. We join in our celebration of the Mass because that is the nature of the Mass. Before or after Mass, at home or at church, is the appropriate time to say the rosary or do any other devotion that we may desire, but not during Mass.
So, how we worship as a community is one way that people can tell that we are Catholic. We have our public and communal forms of worship, as well as our private and individual forms of worship. In the Catholic tradition, we use both forms of worship but at the appropriate times.
Another way that people can tell that we are Catholic is by our integrity. Integrity means that our inner values are reflected in our outer actions. If a person of integrity makes a promise, he keeps the promise. You can rely on his or her word. When a person of integrity gets married, he or she promises to be faithful to their spouse. You can rely on the fact that he or she will be faithful throughout the marriage. There is no gap between their actions and their words.
A person who claims to be a Christian and a Catholic is claiming that they are a disciple of Jesus. That is what it means to be a Christian in the Catholic tradition. A disciple is someone who tries to learn the teachings of their master and manifest those teachings in their life. If loving service is the essence of what Jesus taught, then his disciples will strive to be loving servants. This is reflected in their relationships with other people. This is reflected in the social policies they support.
There is a hymn that goes, “You will know they are Christian by their love!” That is the truth. The most obvious way anyone can know we are Christian is if our lives reflect the love that Jesus taught and expected of his disciples.