Fully Catholic

I have a friend who teaches at a Catholic school.  This Catholic school held adoration with the main prayer intention being for the unborn.  This resulted in parents becoming angry and arguing with administration whether it was appropriate to discuss the sanctity of life at a Catholic school.  Hearing this was quite sad, yet, these kinds of situations occur all the time.  Whether it’s people who have fallen away from the Church, people who are Catholic but only believe some teachings ,or the media, a common mindset is, “how dare a Catholic church teach Catholic beliefs?”  We cannot pick and choose what we believe.  We must walk boldly and confidently in the opposite direction of the world.

Sometimes, people will blatantly disagree with various teachings of the Church and act like the Church is wrong and must change and bend to meet their own personal ideas and attitudes.  This often presents itself in phrases such as, “I’m Catholic, but…” or “I was raised Catholic…”.  These types of phrases usually indicate misunderstandings, being misinformed, and poor catechesis.

The problem is, so many barely scratch the surface when it comes to the Catholic Church.  They briefly glance at the beliefs and teachings and see them as rules and requirements that must be followed, rather than as a way of life that allows us to follow God’s will for our lives, live more fully, and experience true joy.  When we examine what the Church teaches and strive to see the world through a lens of faith, what we believe makes sense.  There is a reason for everything that we profess.

How do we help those who may be Catholic but disagree with certain beliefs?  While we cannot change any minds ourselves, we can help open that door.  We can strive to be that strong Catholic example in the lives of others, especially for those who may not have had anyone like that at specific or formative times in their lives.  Nothing will change by being forceful or arguing angrily.  It is by our love and authentic Christ-like lifestyles that will make a difference.
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Jesus, thank you for giving us the Church that is filled with good, true, and beautiful teachings.  Help us to have the courage to go against the ways of the world.  Fill us with wisdom and knowledge so that we could help others understand the truth and lead them closer to You.  May we always strive to enter more deeply into the Church and move farther away from the lies of the world.  Amen.