Note that I wrote Catholicism 101, not Roman Catholicism 101. This is because while I am Roman Catholic, there are several Catholic Churches of which the Latin (Roman) rite is only one. I discuss all of these on my blog, and when conducting discussions about religious practice, it is important to know the differences between the rites.
Basically, there are two branches of the Catholic Church: the Latin Church and the Eastern Churches. There is only one Latin Church, but the Eastern Churches include the Byzantine rite, the Coptic rite, the Assyrian rite, and others. They are all in communion with Rome, the head of the Latin rite Church. The Anglican Communion, which includes the church of England, and the Orthodox Communion are also considered Catholic but they are not in communion with Rome. For future references, I will refer to members of the Anglican Communion as Anglicans or Anglo-Catholics, members of the Orthodox Communion as Orthodox (Catholics) and I will refer to the Latin and Eastern Catholic Churches by their respective rites. If no rite is listed, assume that I am referring to the Latin rite. If I am referring to the whole Catholic Communion, Latin and Eastern, I will mention it.
For the rest of this piece, I will talk mostly about the Latin rite. The Catholic Church has been around for 2000 years, and contrary to what some may think, we do not believe in faith by sola scriptura. In other words, we are not Biblical literalists, and we have a lot of time on our hands, so we like to add things to keep our lives interesting.:) So what you are about to read is a very simplified synopsis of the Latin rite to get started on Catholic discussions. Some of this will be common knowledge to most readers, but I put it in there just in case and for context.
Basic Beliefs
We are a Christian denomination and we believe in one God and we learn of the word of God by reading the Bible that includes two Testaments. The Old Testament refers to the world before Christ and the New Testament refers to the portion of the Bible that discusses Jesus’ life and ministry. Jesus Christ was the son of God who was born of a virgin, a Jewish woman named Mary. He came to bring people closer to God and to receive punishment for the sins of the people. Christ was crucified, died, and rose again. Later, the Holy Spirit was sent to the people. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together comprise the Trinity. The Trinity is often referred to as God in three persons, but they all comprise one God still. How you can have one God that manifests in three persons without being polytheistic is one of those mysteries of faith that we won’t know until we die, or so we are told.:)
Catholic means universal. Catholics believe they are the first Christian Church and that they are universal. The reason we have so many Christian Churches today is because of the various schisms that have developed over the years due to disagreements. One of them was between the Catholic and Orthodox Churches. The Reformation occurred which involved the Catholic and Protestant Churches and more schisms formed after that as people continued to disagree with each other. So anyway, Catholics believe they are the originals and the Orthodox believe that they are the originals. Get these two together and watch the theological pyrotechnics.:)
In the Nicene Creed, which we recite during Mass, we profess the belief that our church is apostolic. This means that our clergy is descended from the original apostles of Jesus. Jesus had 12 apostles that studied Him when He was alive. When they were called to spread the word of God as Jesus knew it, they essentially became the first clergy. When it was time to ordain new clergy, the apostles would bless them. That means the new clergy, with the apostles’ blessing, who had Jesus’ blessing, are spiritually related to the original apostles. and thus are members of the true Church and have the power to ordain other people as members of the true Church. It’s like a spiritual royal family without the inbred hemophilia.
How We Work
The Catholic Church has a hierarchy. At the very top is the Pope, also called the Bishop of Rome, who lives in the Vatican and tells the bishops what to do. He, under very limited circumstances, has the power to speak infallibly. Some ultratraditional Catholics think that every teaching issued from both the ordinary and extraordinary magisterium is infallible. This would be incorrect. Anyway, while it might not be infallible, that is not license to ignore it completely. Knowledge of Church teaching and canon law is part of faith formation for every Catholic.
We have priests and bishops. The bishops are in charge of a region called a diocese. Archbishops run archdioceses. Note that archbishops aren’t more important, nor do they rank higher, than bishops. The “arch” title refers to leaders who have jursidiction over very large or historically/culturally/politically significant dioceses. For example, Bishop Malone rules over the diocese of Portland, ME, which doesn’t have much going on. The bishop of Boston, on the other hand, is an archbishop because Boston is a huge area that has a lot going on.
We have vicars, deacons, and cardinals. Being a cardinal is a big deal.
We have a really L-O-N-G list of laws that we collectively refer to as Canon Law. Unless you can read Latin, convoluted English, or just really love theology, shutting yourself in your room and pondering the mystery of the universe, I do not recommend you attempt to read the whole thing. The good news is that, with the advent of the internet, the Vatican has a webpage that reproduces Canon Law in HTML. All you need to do is click the links you want to read if you have a question and you’re good to go. They can be read in any language. See my sidebar if you are interested. Canon Law discusses, well, everything you ever wanted to know about running the biggest Church in the world and plenty you don’t.
That Person’s a Saint!
The Catholic Church is full of saints. These are people who have proven extraordinary dedication to their faith. Many have been martyred. They might have performed miracles or made invaluable contributions to our faith. Catholics pray with saints because saints are especially close to God and have the ability to petition to Him for what we need. You may have heard of the term patron saint. A patron saint is devoted to a particular cause. For example, St. Dymphna is the patron saint of mental illness and neurological diseases. If you have a loved one that suffers from schizophrenia, you would pray to her to intercede on your behalf. This is not idolatry any more than praying with a Bible in front of you is idolatry. We do not worship them. We honor them and ask them for help. Only God can be worshiped as the perfect Creator with the power of judgment.
In order to be declared a saint, someone must be declared venerable because of the virtues they exhibited in life and their orthodox doctrine. A panel of theologians must approve the declaration. Beatification happens when a miracle happens after the candidate’s death and as a result of a petition to that candidate. The final step is canonization, which requires one more miracle performed by the candidate. This process takes years because the Church has to wait some time after the person has died in order to have a balanced perspective on how they lived.
Need-to-Know Catholic Doctrine
My all-time favorite is original sin proposed by St. Augustine. It’s not what it sounds like, trust me. A common misconception is that Original Sin is something you do that makes all humans born inherently bad. This is not true. In reality, it teaches that humans are inherently GOOD. Humans are designed to hold God’s grace just as a chalice is designed to hold water or wine. We are not born with God’s grace because of the Fall, when the first people Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit that taught them knowledge of good and evil. Once they ate that fruit, they were exposed to temptation.
Sin, in this context, isn’t something you do or have. Rather, it is characterized by what you DON’T have.
We regain God’s grace by getting baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. By getting baptized, we are acknowledging God, His only Son, and the Holy Spirit and gain the salvation attained by such a proclamation. You still, of course, need to maintain good standing in Heaven by doing good deeds and receiving penance for sins committed. Think of it as getting on the honor roll. You need good grades to get in, but that doesn’t mean you get to slack off after.
The Immaculate Conception: Mary, according to Catholic doctrine, was conceived without original sin so that she could be host to the Son of God. It is important to note that Orthodox Christians do not believe in the Immaculate Conception.
The Assumption of Mary: When Mary died, she was resurrected and taken into Heaven. Pretty straightforward.
Papal infallibility: This is a big one, and it is just as misunderstood as the concept of original sin. This does not mean that the Pope is infallible in all he says or does. In fact, only a very small minority of statements can ever be considered infallible. Even though it is called papal infallibility, bishops, as a council, can teach infallibly as well. Infallible teachings need to be officially declared infallible at the time the teaching is issued and they need to have a basis on Scripture, tradition, and overall understanding of the faith. The concept of infallibility is a complicated one, but the most important thing to remember is that A) its use is rare and B) pay close attention to them to the few infallible statements that do exist. They’re important.
Purgatory: This is where you go when you die but are not ready to enter Heaven. If you go to Purgatory, it means that you are favored by God but have not been totally purified and therefore cannot ascend to Heaven yet. It’s very hot and smoky, but unlike Hell, it doesn’t last forever and you get cookies.
Venial vs. mortal sins: Venial sins are minor sins that injure your relationship with God. Gossiping about trivial matters without intending to lie is a venial sin. Gossiping about major matters when you know it is false is a mortal sin. Mortal sins cut you off from Him completely and if you do not confess them before dying, you could go to Hell. To commit a mortal sin is to knowingly and willfully disobey God in major matters, like slander or murder. You do not necessarily have to actually commit a mortal sin to be guilty of it. Sometimes just thinking of it is enough. Confess mortal sins before going to Communion. If you do not, receiving Communion in that state is a mortal sin in inself. Confess, you heretic, confess!!!
Magisterium: We have two basic types. They are ordinary (unofficial teachings of the bishops or the Pope) and extraordinary (formal decrees by councils of bishops and the Pope or the Pope alone). In addition, there is an ordinary universal magisterium, which is when the bishops all agree on something, even though they never came together and said “Yes, we think this.” It’s considered part of the ordinary magisterium.
The Structure of the Mass
When entering the sanctuary, you dip your fingers in the holy water and make the Sign of the Cross: forehead, chest, right shoulder, left shoulder. (The Orthodox cross from left to right). Once you get to where you want to sit, you genuflect (kneel on your right knee) and cross yourself again.
A song is sung as the priest and his altar crew carry the Cross and the Bible in. You stand for this.
The priest and parish greet each other and then sit.
You listen to the First Reading.
You stand and sing.
You sit and listen t0 the Second Reading.
You stand and sing an Alleluia.
You listen to the Gospel reading.
At some point, the collection basket will be passed around. Put in what you can.
Sometime during the Mass, you will do the following:
-Hear a homily from the priest
-Give each other a Sign of the Peace (greet each other and say, “Peace be with you.” In reply, you say “And also with you.”)
-You will recite the Lord’s Prayer and the Nicene Creed.
Near the end of the Mass, Communion will be served. It can be received either on the tongue or in the hands. Palms should be flat, facing up, and one hand should be placed over the other. Think of it as making a throne.
Some of this you will have to learn by watching if you do go to Mass. That’s how I learned most of it. But you’ll get the hang of it, and no one will notice unless you make an issue of it. Some Catholics who have been practicing their whole lives get lazy or just don’t know how to do things. Don’t be shy.
What Time Is It?
Catholics have their own calendar of events. In fact, one of the reasons (among many others) that the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches won’t bury the hatchet is because they can’t agree on a date for Easter. Anyway, the liturgical year is as follows: Ordinary Time, Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter, Pentecost, and we have various other holidays like feast days for saints.
Advent is preparation for the coming of Christ on Christmas and hope for His Second Coming. Christmas is the birth of Christ. Lent is about the suffering and death of Jesus. Easter is about His resurrection. Pentecost is about the sending of the Holy Spirit.
For a pictoral representation, click here.
I Didn’t Know You Guys Had Cookies!
We sure do! And wine! Aren’t we great? Actually, they are Communion wafers, and when they are consecrated by a priest, they become the Body of Christ. The wine becomes the Blood of Christ. The Eucharist (Communion) was instituted at the Last Supper, which was hosted by Jesus before His execution. He told His disciples to eat the bread and drink the wine in memory of Him. Once you do that, you have Christ in you. In order to be eligible for Communion, you need to be baptized and have made your first confession (children) or undergone your Scrutinies during Lent (adult converts). Scrutinies are basically confessions in which you examine your sins and your readiness to make a conversion to the faith. If you are baptized and have made your First Communion, you must go to confession before every Communion and confess mortal sins. Otherwise, you profane the Eucharist by receiving it in an unworthy state. Once you have been absolved of your sins, you can chomp away.
Baptism is the first rite of initiation. It involves pouring water on a person’s head or fully immersing them. Catholics are baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. When you are baptised, you are an official member of the Church and the burden of Original Sin is alleviated as you are filled with God’s grace. If you are an adult, your previously committed sins will be washed away. If you are not baptised formally, but are preparing to be baptised, if you die before baptism, or if you do not have access to the Sacraments for whatever reason, you are considered to have baptism of desire. If you die in defense of the faith before you receive baptism, you have been baptised by blood. The next step for children is faith formation, then her first confession, and then her First Communion. Confirmation may occur at the same time or come later. For adults, confession is the first step and Baptism, First Communion, and Confirmation all happen at once.
The Sacrament of Penance or Reconciliation is when you go to a priest and confess your sins. Focus first on the mortal sins then on the venial ones. Remember that sins aren’t just things you do, but also things you failed to do. Once you confess your sins, you will be given penance-prayer, act of charity, or whatever he assigns-and be forgiven.
Confirmation is when you are annointed with chrism (a pleasantly scented oil consecrated by a bishop) and have a priest lay his hands upon your head. This signifies the entrance of the Holy Spirit and its gifts. There are seven gifts of the Holy Spirit-Wisdom, understanding, piety, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, and fear of the Lord. Everyone confirmed has them to some degree, but everyone specializes in something different. For example, I have discovered that one of mine is knowledge, but I can do any of the above on some level. To describe thoroughly what each one entails would take up multiple posts, but know that Confirmation brings you closer to God and that the gifts of the Holy Spirit all refer in some way to knowing your faith and being strong in it. What differs is how you demonstrate those things.
Marriage is pretty straightforward. A man and a woman commit themselves to each other for life and strive to live up to God’s standards.
The Sacrament of Holy Orders is for people being ordained into thew clergy. You pledge to proclaim the Gospel, to administer the Sacraments, and be a good leader to your Catholic sheep.
The Annointing of the Sick is given to the ill so that they may ne spiritually strong in their time of need. Last Rites, or Extreme Unction, is offered to those on their deathbed so they can face death with fortitude and grace and so they can be absolved of sins not yet confessed. Originally, there was no Annointing of the Sick, only the Last Rites. It is rather amusing to see older people who are unaware of the new rite have a conniption (“Dear God, I’m dying and the doctor didn’t tell me?!”) when the prest shows up.
Hear, Hear!
Catholics like to have a lot of rules (can’t imagine why!) We are always getting together and (politely) cutting each other to pieces over what is authentic teaching and practice and what is not. For the sake of brevity, I will familiarize you with the four major councils: The Council of Nicea, the Council of Trent, and the First and Second Vatican Councils
Note about the Council of Trent: It has an ugly reputation for being extremely backwards. When you hear someone refer to a Catholic as “headed back to Trent” or “from the days of the Council of Trent,” the implication is that they are ultra-traditional, medieval, and need to come out of their caves and join the rest of the world.
This is a huge document and I do not, whatsoever, expect you to read the whole thing. I didn’t even read the whole thing. Just know that, among other things, it brings up papal infallibility and that Christ intended for Peter to head the Church and that the Pope is the successor of Peter. Colloquially, it is considered an authoritarian document and is not generally held in favor except for those who consider themselves ultra-traditional, some of whom reject Vatican II.
Another huge document calling basically for renewal of the Church, dialog within the Church and with other Christian denominations. Colloquially, for liberals, it means the dawn of a new, modern Church. For traditionals, it is either a bastion of heresy or just not as authentically Catholic as Vatican I. As usual, the truth is somewhere in the middle.
Good Books to Read-Catholic Fundamentals
New American Bible, (New) Revised Standard Edition, or the (New) Jerusalem Bible
Catechism of the Catholic Church
For the Erudite
If you want to explore Catholic theology on a deeper level, try reading the works of the following theologians for starters: Pope Benedict XVI and Pope John Paul II are conservative theologians. Hans Kung and Charles Curran are a lot more liberal.
Just so you know…
The Vatican does not always approve of the views of theologians, especially liberal ones. So when you read views that are not within the dictates of the Catholic Church either in the catechism, canon law, or pronouncements, take it with a grain of salt. I am not going to agree or disagree with any of the views explored, but for those new to the faith or those who are concerned about upholding orthodox teaching, I have to add that disclaimer. Otherwise, read, think, and enjoy.
If you want to look up unfamiliar terms, go to the Catholic Encyclopedia at New Advent. It’s great!
A Little Bit of Church History for the Road…
Christianity, a History of the Catholic Church
History of the Catholic Church
A Dose of Catholic News and Culture
I have the following newspapers/sites on my blog roll
The National Catholic Reporter is a liberal, independent (of Rome) news source. Traditional Catholics have their own name for it-The National Catholic Distorter/Destroyer. There are some conservative voices on the board and in the community as a whole, but it tends strongly towards being liberal.
The National Catholic Register is a traditional Catholic news source. It is a service provided by the Eternal World Catholic Network.
Speaking of EWTN, the Eternal World Catholic Network was started by Mother Angelica and it’s huge in the Catholic community worldwide. It’s very traditional, which might turn off some people, but it has great material in any case.
OnceCatholic.org is actually a forum for people to discuss Catholic issues. This space is especially designed for people who are either struggling with their faith or who have left. I give up two thumbs up.
Please don’t feel like you have to read this all at once. If you want to join a discussion, just click on whatever links suit you at the moment and go from there. I hope you learned something today and look forward to your comments!
