The gift of our Catholic identity
For as long as I can remember, my family has referred to ourselves as “Team Burak.” It’s a simple, memorable phrase we use to describe the vision, characteristics and rules of our family life.
For as long as I can remember, my family has referred to ourselves as “Team Burak.” It’s a simple, memorable phrase we use to describe the vision, characteristics and rules of our family life.
Team Burak does its best to cheer loudly for each other, forgive quickly, express gratitude, root for Michigan, dance at weddings, love Jesus, willingly host guests and embrace adventure. We understand and appreciate that our children don’t all have the same personalities or preferences (our youngest son roots for random teams just to antagonize me, which I find hilarious), but Cait and I have discerned what we believe God wants for our family and we’re trying to faithfully implement it.
Many people call themselves Catholic, but today there are many different understandings of what that means. The word “catholic” (small “c”) means universal, in that the Church is accessible and open for everyone, but clearly that doesn’t mean that everyone is automatically a member of the Church. While the Church is not exclusive or tribalistic, she does distinguish between those who are in and those who are not. Being Catholic could be reduced to simply being baptized, occasionally going to Mass, or checking a box on a survey, but Jesus and his Church passionately invite us to more. For the sake of simplicity, here are three words that start with ‘B’ to describe this fuller Catholic identity.
1. Believe
A faithful Catholic actually believes what the Church teaches – about everything, not just the teachings they like or are easy to understand. The supernatural gift of faith lives in the hearts of these people and they cooperate with this grace.
2. Belong
An engaged Catholic is connected to and supports other Catholics. This doesn’t mean Catholics exclusively relate with other Catholics, but the faith community is consistently walking together through life.
3. Behave
An active Catholic aligns his or her actions to the teachings of the Church both in the pursuit of virtue and the elimination of sin. Catholics do act differently than the rest of the world. Whether it’s worshiping together on Sunday, taking care of the poor or doing our best to live as Jesus taught, we match how we live with what we believe.
Living in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church is a transforming, eternal and challenging gift. Before you answer “Catholic” on the next survey, pause and think about what that means, because it’s not about what team you root for, but what family you belong in.
Pete Burak is the vice president of Renewal Ministries. He has a master’s degree in theology, and is a frequent speaker at events for youth and young adults.
