“Catholic” is derived from Greek words that means ‘on/about the whole’ or ‘complete.’ It was the term applied to our religious tradition since the second century because of its universal scope. It was not constrained by any ethnic or language group and its message was open to all. Catholic, big “C,” still generally refers to the Roman Catholic Church. Does the Catholic Church resemble the universal quality attributed to her?
Uniformity is not universality. When I was a child we considered the Catholic Church to be uniform in every way. Mostly it was the notion that the same Latin Mass was prayed everywhere in the world. We thought we were a mono-culture. But, in fact, we were not that. Different customs and rites abounded. And we never gave a thought to our Orthodox brethren who are Catholic! All one needs to do is read the letter of St. Paul to discover the aches and pains of including “strangers” into the community. In his day it was Gentiles with Jews. But throughout the Church’s history, new groups have been legitimately added and have brought something new to the life of the Church—music, art, philosophy, etc. Given the size of the Roman Catholic Church—nearly one billion members—that nevertheless hold much in common—a Catechism, Canon Law, liturgical rites—the stunning thing is the unity in this global church. If I attend Mass in India, it is still the same Mass as in Bloomington, although in a different vernacular. But we operate under the same code of church law and hold the same beliefs and doctrines. That is quite amazing…and real.
In the middle of Indiana cornfields, there is the unique opportunity at St. Paul Catholic Center to mirror the universal Church. Indiana University draws many international students and families. We have the chance to embrace the universal quality of being Catholic, but it won’t happen by chance. This ‘catholicism’ must be deliberate, requiring understanding and patience, and a love for one another. Sharing different cultural expressions requires an openness that many groups don’t have to attain.
From time to time there is a multi-cultural Mass. Generally this happens around certain holy days. On those days, the whole church is gathered to celebrate the same liturgy. Inserting some of the language markers of our fellow Catholics—like Korean, Spanish, Tagalog, or Polish—is cumbersome and may even be irritating. But this irritation is shared equally by all. Even though persons attending IU speak English (I applaud you for this as I wade through phrases from another language), all of these members grew up praying in their native tongue. There is something precious about God-talk in one’s idiom. And that is what we strive to do by insertions of language moments in these multi-cultural Masses. Music is another venue that also provides some of this insertion.
If we at St. Paul can accommodate embracing some of “another’s” cultural expression of the Catholic faith, then the term Catholic will gain a fuller sense of universality. It will, at the same time, punch a hole in a notion of mono-culture. But how beautiful to God is that congregation of many faces, ages, orientations, occupations, yet one in faith and devotion, leading to holiness of life and willing service to our neighbor?
Being Catholic
