"What does it mean to be a Catholic?" This question, posed in just about every form of media recently, is a question worth examining.
For many of us born into Catholic families, it is a question that seldom came up. We simply accepted all the traditions and responsibilities being Catholic required, believed what we were taught, did what was expected and did not question.
In retrospect, looking over a lifetime of living within the Catholic Church, this is somewhat regrettable. How is it possible to embrace religious convictions without examining them, discussing them among family and friends, and finally coming to a point where they settle into your heart as a belief system?
Many parents today lament the fact that their adult children do not have a firm attachment to the Catholic Church in which they were raised. I wonder; I find that many young adults identify themselves as Catholic, though their practices differ from those of their childhood (even if the doctrine is the same). Being Catholic means different things to different people and certainly to different generations. Is it about following rules? How you pray? How you vote? How you treat others?
A few weeks ago I learned of the death of a man I had not seen in some time. Dennis was a good man, a Catholic from beginning to end, and an uncle by marriage. He was a priest for a number of years before he met my aunt, a former Immaculate Heart nun. Their story was not uncommon during the '60s and '70s: Each had reached the conclusion that the lives that had seemed so right many years before were somehow not leading them in the direction God was calling them.
It was the post-Vatican II era, a time of change and excitement within the Church and the world. There was an openness and ease between people and within the Church that was not present in prior years. As with any transition, it was also a confusing time. Many people were not prepared for the changes; they clung to the older, familiar ways and at times this caused conflict. Some found it difficult to distinguish God from the institutional human Church and saw the changes taking place as an affront to God, rather than a natural evolution that takes place within human organizations.
The marriage of my aunt and uncle, like so many others at the time who had moved from the priesthood or religious life to a secular life, caused varied reactions; not everyone agreed with or supported what was taking place. Over time, this changed, and families and friends were enhanced by their presence, their knowledge and skills gained from their years of vocational formation and practice.
Catholic beliefs are spelled out for us to hear and proclaim every Sunday as we recite the creed, a creed repeated around the world in many different languages, as minds and hearts determine how to live the beliefs they are professing. Ultimately, each of us stands alone before God. Barring blatant disregard for church teaching, what it means to be a Catholic is a personal question known only in the heart of anyone who claims membership in the Catholic Church. Anne Hansen is a member of the Camarillo Catholic community. Her e-mail address is familymail@aol.com. |