Traditional Catholics. Modern Catholics. Conservative Catholics. Liberal Catholics. Moderate Catholics. Orthodox Catholics. Charismatic Catholics. Progressive Catholics. We may think that these Catholic labels define us, but instead, they divide us.
Now more than ever, we need to unite together in reaching out to a fallen world, yet we seem more preoccupied with fighting amongst ourselves over how we practice our Catholic faith.
Too many Catholics look down on others for how they practice their faith. They feel that their personal brand of Catholicism is more enlightened than the others.
Yet somehow, these enlightened Catholics have forgotten one of the most basic concepts of the Church: the Four Marks (as found in the Nicene Creed).
We are One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. One. Not two. Not twelve. Not one with many subsets. Just one.
Each of these Catholic labels explains the differences between how we practice and live out our faith, and regardless of which one you fall into, we all have one thing in common: we’re Catholic. We are One Church.
We spend a lot of time talking about how to fix the lack of zeal for evangelization within the Church. We talk about empty pews, less participation in parishes, and the problems the Church faces today. And to me, this one stands out from the crowd:
We cannot effectively evangelize if we continually divide ourselves with meaningless labels.
It’s the truth that few of us want to hear or admit.
We need to stop fighting and debating amongst ourselves over doctrinal differences and re-focus our energies on simply sharing the love of Christ. We need to put down the Code of Canon Law and pick up the Gospels.
Catholic labels cannot define us. It is our common faith in Christ, our trust for the Church, our passion for Mary, our admiration of the saints, and our love for one another that unites us. Nothing else ever will.
Copyright © 2013, Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson
Chad R. Torgerson works as an IT Analyst for a Catholic publishing group. In his spare time, he enjoys writing and sharing his faith on his website, Waking Up Catholic, a guide to the Catholic RCIA process. and is also the Co-Founder of Assisi Media, a new Catholic publishing company focused on using new media to reach everyday Catholics. His new book, Waking Up Catholic, is available in eBook and paperback formats.
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