Brazilian Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer on What It Means to be a Catholic

Brazil´s senior Catholic leader Cardinal Odilo Pedro Scherer, Metropolitan Archbishop of São Paulo, has recently been discussing what it means to be a Catholic in a series of articles published in the Brazilian Catholic newspaper “O Jornal São Paulo”. This is a translation from the original Portuguese of one of these articles. I am grateful to Cardinal Scherer for allowing me to share it with Catholic365.com readers.

There are many ways a person can be a Catholic. There are those who were just baptized and never became involved with their Catholic faith community. There are those who believe in doing things their “own way” and are completely unaware of or have only vague notions of the basic elements of the Catholic faith. There are also those who believe but only walk in step with the Church on special occasions. And there are many, thank God, with a solid belief who march alongside the Church and are actively involved in its proposals for life and action.

What should the Catholic Church expect from its members? First and foremost, a Catholic must be someone who believes in Jesus Christ, the Savior, and constantly learns about from the Liturgy the truths of the faith the Catholic Church professes and proclaims. A Catholic must also learn to follow the path of faith in his or her daily, personal and social life. The Catholic should also march shoulder to shoulder with the Church, community and fellow worshippers, learning from them and participating with them in the joys and hopes of following Christ. Furthermore, a Catholic should play an active role in fulfilling the Church´s mission.

Having a general belief in God is a good start but is not enough. Every Catholic is encouraged to get to know his or her faith and strive to learn about it through the Word of God and the Church. This is particularly so in terms of the Catechism in which the Church explains the Creed and why it follows it. The Creed forms the foundations and reasons for the faith and how it is expressed in prayer through the Liturgy and oration. The Church testifies to this same faith in daily life in terms of personal and social morality.

“I'm a Catholic in my own way.” Who hasn't heard this statement? This is not at all true because being a Catholic means following guidelines that apply to all Catholics. It is not up to each individual to invent their own Catholic religion for themselves. That would be very convenient! That is why there is the Catholic “rule of faith” or “profession of faith,” which applies to all the Church´s sons and daughters. There is also the “rule of life” which is specific to Catholics and based on the Ten Commandments of God's Law and the word of Jesus in the Gospel. There is the “rule of worship and prayer” consisting of the Liturgy and celebration of the Sacraments.

It is easy to understand why not everyone is able to explain, on their own, the truths, reasons and mysteries of the faith celebrated in the liturgy and the morality we practice. That is why a Catholic welcomes the faith not only as a free and personal act that is a precious gift from God but also as an ecclesial and communal act. Our faith is that of the Church and we believes what it believes. We are not alone in our faith but walk alongside all those who also believe and bear witness to that same faith. We believe with the great testifiers of faith: the Saints, the Martyrs, the Doctors of the Church and the holy Pastors. Therefore, in order to live the faith, grow in it and persevere in it, we need to walk alongside the Church. Those who isolate themselves and do not participate in the life of the Church become lonely, have difficulty facing the religious crises of life and end up losing their faith.

There are some basic issues that should be part of the everyday life of all Catholics. First of all, daily prayer. Jesus prayed, taught us how to pray and said we should never give up praying (cf. Lk 18:1-8). Prayer is the food and breath of the soul. A plant that does not receive light and water withers and dies. A person who does not pray also becomes weak in faith and may lose it. Those who are believers pray. Those who do not pray certainly are not. We have a Catholic practice dating from biblical times which is to pray at least three times a day: at the beginning of the day, at noon and at sunset. Daily prayer can be carried out in private or in the company of others. It is good to pray as a family at least once a day.

Another essential Catholic practice is to take part in Sunday Mass, as commanded by the Church. For us Sunday is the “Lord´s day” the day when the risen Lord Jesus is among us and we gather in his name. It is the day dedicated to the worship and praise of God, to welcome his word, to nourish our faith and to ask God for the help we need. It is the day when we meet our brothers and sisters in faith, to offer mutual help and encouragement in charity and hope. Sunday is the day when the community pledges its faith and  the Church relaunches its mission. For Catholics, participation in the Sunday celebration should be the first of all Sunday commitments. Taking part in the Sunday celebration is a true “school of faith” in which we learn, step by step, to know, welcome and express the treasures of our faith.

I cannot conclude these brief reflections on what it means to be Catholic without mentioning that Catholics must be fair and honest people and play an active role in building society and promoting solidarity and peace in human coexistence, based on the convictions of faith they carry within them. Therefore, every Catholic has a duty to participate, in many different ways, in the Church's mission in the service of humanity.