The Assumption of The Catholic Church

Jesus at SWYM. 4/365

...Sunday.

So today at SWYM I gave a talk about Baptism and Confirmation.

In recent years I’ve come to this conclusion in regards to teaching the Catholic faith:

We assume to much on the part of the believer. This isn’t the Church’s fault. Well, it kind of is, but it isn’t. The Catholic faith, in my opinion, is victim of its own success.

Let me explain.

You see, back when the Catholic Faith started, we had to explain everything starting form who Jesus was and why He came. If you go back to St. Peter’s first sermon, he started at the beginning and it accumulated with Christ. This was the start of the Catholic evangelization.

Now, before I proceed, I need to define what Catholic means, because, well, we’ve got two millennium of history to contend with.

Catholic means one, universal, visible, holy church. A vast majority of Catholic doctrine came before any of the schisms like Eastern Orthodox or Protestantism. So, in my understanding of Church history, everyone was Catholic, until they weren’t. We all believed the central tenants of the faith.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ, as expressed by the Catholic faith (the fullest and most beautiful response to what God has done though the person of Jesus Christ) began to permeate and leave ingrain its mark on the world.

Catholicism changed the world and over time, especially in Europe, the Middle East, and in time, North America became ubiquitous. It defined the world.

So soon, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, was everywhere and over time, the Church believed that everyone, well knew, what it meant to be Catholic. This was of course, a good thing.

But in time, I think, the Church just assumed everyone knows or in the least someone had told you what it meant to be Catholic, i.e, had told you the Gospel message from the beginning.

For instance, tonight after my talk, I asked my students if their parents had told them exactly why they had been baptized. And every student, even the one coming into the church from an Episcopalian background, said no.

You see the Church assumes the parents, a child’s first catchiest, had told them the reason they were baptized. Consequently, parents assume that the Church is going to tell them why they were baptized. So everyone, I think is just kicking the can down the road and then we’re left with no-one, especially, the teen (and me, once upon a time), knowing what the heck is going on.

So, whenever I teach, I always try to re-hash the basics or the given, and work the faith outward. So I start with why God made things, being made in the image of God, down to the Gospel message (or what God has done in the person of Christ Jesus.) Which incidentally, is the very foundation of the Catholic faith.

If one is told that, then the rest of the practicing Catholicism makes absolute sense.

I credit Fr. John Richards for showing me the way on this and he biggest lesson to me is assume nothing and start from ground zero and build from there.

So I think tonight’s talk went well, though I see how it could’ve been redundant with a previous talk, but, through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, it worked. Or at least I hope it did.

Either that or I committed a severe hearsay (my worst fear), to comparing the reality of being a Baptized Catholic to a Lamborghini.

Again, it’s something I enjoy. I think it went well.

And while at SWYM, I got my shot of the day.

God Bless.