One of Aristotle’s laws of logic is the law of identity. Simply stated, this law holds that a thing is what it is. For example, a book is a book. Aristotle also warned that when this law is not observed or breaks down, disorder follows.
It should come as no surprise then why we are confronted today with a great deal of disorder. We are informed almost daily that life, gender, and marriage are not what we thought them to be. With such fundamental questions up for debate, questions of personal identity are predictably equally perplexing. Nor is the question of our Catholic identity beyond the reach of an all-engulfing relativism that freely changes the essence of things to meet personal or ideological needs.
So what makes one Catholic? How would someone who does not know you be able to identify you as Catholic? Is your identity as Catholic dependent on your ability to corroborate it?
In approaching a definition of Catholic identity, it might be helpful to consider two categories: the visible and the invisible. The visible approach to Catholic identity understands that the essence of Catholicism can be found in visible, or external, criteria. In contrast, the invisible approach understands that the essence of Catholicism can be discovered only according to invisible, or internal, criteria. As we explore both approaches, it might be fun to note those understandings that resonate with your own understanding of Catholic identity.
Visibly Catholic
- “You can just tell…” – According to this view, a person’s Catholicism is identifiable through various tells, subtle or not so subtle indicators. Examples of tells include crucifixes, postings of the Ten Commandments, rosaries, stained glass, and statues of Mary and the saints. The argument goes that a person with such “visible” articles is certainly a Catholic.
- “I pledge allegiance…” – For some, a public profession of assent, obedience, and loyalty to the teaching authority of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium is the measure of a true Catholic.
- “Brain power” – Essential Catholicity consists in a person’s ability to demonstrate his or her knowledge and grasp of all aspects of the Faith: Scripture, Tradition, Doctrines, Encyclicals, Vatican happenings, etc.
- “Do the math” – The essence of Catholicism is the product of both visible and quantifiable inputs. For example, if a person prays the rosary plus goes to Mass plus performs acts of service, then he or she is Catholic (rosary + Mass + service = Catholic).
- “One of these Faiths is not like the other” – From this perspective, Catholicity rests precisely in that which is visibly different from other faith traditions. An illustration of this can be taken from a story told by a priest in the Archdiocese of Chicago. He once was in a Baptist Church for a speaking engagement. During the visit, he was approached and asked, “Why do you Catholics grant such status to Mary?” He replied, “Because you don’t.” He explains that he said this to show that this was really a dominant approach of the Church to its identity from the time of the Counter-Reformation up until Vatican II.
- “From a distance…” – The essence of Catholicism is identifiable according to academic criteria. By studying Catholicism as a phenomenon from the viewpoints of various academic disciplines (sociology, history, science, etc.), one can come to an understanding of its true core.
- “Let the market decide” – As one more competitor in the “spiritual” marketplace, Catholicism is identifiable in terms of its niche, its value-add (ex. the Eucharist), its marketing message, and its target market. In other words, Catholic identity can be measured by the religious goods and services offered by Catholicism.
Invisibly Catholic
- “Spiritual not religious” – This view holds that since religion, i.e. religious institutions, is the product of human endeavor and generally constrictive of the spiritual life, the essence of Catholicism is more an internal feeling, a personal, subjective trust in and relationship with Jesus. This invisible relationship trumps all other considerations.
- “It’s in the DNA” – Catholicity is in essence a trait that seems to be almost inherited. “I was born Catholic” is a common expression of this perspective. Catholicity is like other identifiers like race, gender and nationality – over which we have no control.
- “Check the God compartment” – The Catholic Faith forms one of the many compartments of life – career, family, finance, and religion. Catholic identity is found only in this internal compartment and is invisible except when it is “pulled out” for special occasions like Sunday Mass.
- “Hey, it works for me, but it may not work for you” – This view commonly holds that all religions are basically the same, equally valid and leading to the same place. Consequently, Catholicity is identified as one’s own based on “invisible” criteria such as cultural conditioning or pragmatic preference.
So what am I missing? This is certainly not an exhaustive treatment of Catholic identity. However, it does beg the question: which approach/understanding is correct? Who is the “real” Catholic? For this answer, you will have to stay tuned for next time as the exploration for the elusive “Catholic” continues…
Douglas Culp is the Secretary for Pastoral Life and Chief Administrative Officer for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Lexington. He holds a National Catholic Certification in Health Care Ethics from the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Philadelphia, PA, a Master of Arts in Theology from the Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL, and a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of Kentucky.
He is a regular contributor to Cross Roads Newspaper, Diocese of Lexington, and to FAITH Catholic Magazine/FAITH Publishing Services, Diocese of Lansing, MI. He resides in Lexington with his beautiful wife, two adorable children, and ever-faithful canine.
You may reach him with your comments and/or schedule him to speak to your group at dculp@cdlex.org.
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