"I am a Catholic." is what faithful Catholics often say when they are asked what religion they follow. They say they are Catholic because they are a member of the Roman Catholic Church. And in some cases, Episcopalians say they are Catholic because they are very much like the Roman Catholics. But what does that really mean?
The term catholic means universal. When we are catholic in faith, we are universal. We may not all agree in doctrine, but all of us Christians believe that Jesus is our savior and is the son of God. We are universal in that belief. But even that does not make us Catholics!
God gave us his greatest commandment through one important saint: Matthew. St. Matthew tells us that we must love one another as ourselves. Love is the main ingredient in human survival. And love is the most powerful thing on earth.
Jesus sacrificed himself for us because he loves us. Out of that, love conquered death. Love conquers hate. Love shines, even through the darkest of times. Love comforts. Love is found nearly everywhere.
And because love is found nearly everywhere, love is universal. It a language used by everyone around the world. Because love is universal, it is, in a sense, catholic. So catholic is love and love is catholic. And because the faithful are loving, the faithful are catholic and Catholics are love.
You cannot be a true Catholic without love. My friend, we Catholics love you. And because we love you, we say to you "We are Catholic. Welcome Home."
Welcome to X-Treme Anglican, the blog by Father William Warf! Here you will find answers to some commonly asked questions, Fr. Warf's views on debated subjects, and simple prayers and devotionals for all Anglo-Catholics!
