How often have you been involved in a conversation and someone says, “oh yeah, he/she is a Catholic.”  

What does that really mean?

For most, how that question is answered depends a lot on just exactly where a person is in their faith journey … whether they are currently on the road, searching for a path, have taken a detour or tragically fallen off the cliff.

A child just receiving his or her first communion would answer the question differently than one who just received the sacrament of confirmation.

St. John Paul II wrote in the Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum upon the publication of the Catechism of the Catholic Church that the new text is “offered to every individual who asks us to give an account of the hope that is in us (see 1 Pet 3:15) and who wants to know what the Catholic Church believes.”  

So what a Catholic should believe and what it means to be of the Catholic faith is contained right there in those 900 or so pages along with the pages of the Scriptures that inspired it. Answering the question with a copy of the catechism or the Bible would be considered the long answer.

We know of course, that being a Catholic is more than just a holy text, or a label and set of rules and doctrines to be followed like a checklist. We say our profession of faith every time we attend Mass and some say it in their daily prayers. This profession is our response to God who made heaven and earth and us.

We are taught that our desire for God is written in our hearts and that we were created by God, for God and that He never ceases to bring us all to Him. And, when we seek to grow ever closer to God by doing His will in our work and play, we will find the truth, happiness and dignity that only comes from God.

So that means being a Catholic is a big deal and requires a little work for us because it’s more than learning a few prayers, being sprinkled with a little water, anointed with a little oil and poof! … you’re in the club! And your confirmation day doesn’t mean the end of the road and you’re finally good to go.  
The point is our understanding and, more importantly, our embrace, practice, application and fidelity to the Catholic faith requires a lifetime of practice and a lifetime of study from good sources.

Living a healthy Catholic life means that it needs the proper care and feeding for a lifetime. How do we do that? First, of course, there is the celebration of the Mass where we have the great privilege to gather around the Lord’s table for the true source and summit of what it means to be Catholic … the holy Eucharist.

Then there is the practice of prayer. And there can never be too much of that. A healthy prayer life should be habitual even though it can be hard to add in sometimes.

I thought I could never pray more but after a meeting some time ago when I heard our deacons and their wives describe how they pray separately and together, I was inspired. Their example compelled me to start a prayer practice every morning on the way to work during Lent last year. I must confess I have surprised myself and continued my commuting prayers.

Our hunger for things of faith gets fed from the good example of others who help inspire us to “do unto others.” We also need to feed ourselves the influence and guidance of Catholic leaders and teachers and good information. But outside of church, prayer, and influence, we need other sources to feed our faith.  And of course, that’s where The Observer comes in.

We help feed your faith in every issue. While you are nourished with bread for your soul through the Eucharist, The Observer is that Catholic bread for your head that can keep you inspired and informed.

My prayer is that our efforts to share the good news of our faith, our church in the world and in the lives of our diocesan faithful will help you in answering those questions of faith and what it really means to be a Catholic. Thank you for subscribing and for helping us to feed your faith.