Sunday, February 1, 2009

Catholic = Universal

cath⋅o⋅lic   /ˈkæθəlɪk, ˈkæθlɪk/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [kath-uh-lik, kath-lik] Show IPA Pronunciation

–adjective 1. broad or wide-ranging in tastes, interests, or the like; having sympathies with all; broad-minded; liberal.
2. universal in extent; involving all; of interest to all.
3. pertaining to the whole Christian body or church.


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Origin:
1300–1350; ME < L catholicus < Gk katholikós general, equiv. to kathól(ou) universally (contr. of phrase katà hólou according to the whole; see cata-, holo- ) + -ikos -ic

The word "catholic" has, in our society, come to mean only those who are members of the Catholic Church. What I find interesting as a convert to the Catholic faith is that the word catholic means "universal".

The more I research and study the origins of the Church, the more I realize just how universal it is.

The Catholic Church IS THE CHURCH. Before about 1000 A.D. there was only 1 (one) denomination of the Christian faith - catholicism. Either you were Christian, and belonged to the Church, or you weren't. The bible, which so many protestant denominations quote often and liberally, would NOT EXIST without the Catholic Church. The Church kept the works of the books of the bible together, protected their sacred nature, and sheilded them from the hands of those who would otherwise wish to destroy them for over 1000 years.

I am eager to read "The Fathers of the Church" which I hear will help me to fully understand the history of Christianity and the origins of my faith. I've heard that anyone who reads this cannot help but believe, and know, they are Catholics.

~H

6 comments:

Allison said...

The FULLNESS of faith, the FULL expression, yes!

Why would God not want us to be one?

How could it be "of" God that Luther began the fractionalization of the fullness of faith sothat everybody having their
"one-off" Protesting group of THEIR own beliefs now number over 30,000+ denominations?

That division is not of God, but of His enemy.

The Way, The Truth and The Life shows us to be humble, to surrender, to sacrifice and be uncomfortable, to have faith....not to say we know better, everything should be as easy as we want it!

Thanks for posting this!

Anonymous said...

Honey, I love you and I respectfully disagree.

~C

laurazim said...

Ah yes....to all of our dear Protestant brothers and sisters.....to delve into the history of the early Church (especially the first few centries) and recognize the truth of that history is to cease to be Protestant..........and become Catholic.

I dare you.

Anonymous said...

I hope ~H that when you read this you know that I love you unconditionally. I do not write this to upset you; I just did not like that implication that I was in denial. I hope we still agree to disagree.

My dear laurazim,

Out of deference for my dear ~H, I pondered my response (or lack of) to your comment quite a bit. Then I realized that she and I have had this conversation before and decided that I needed to clarify what I meant by disagreement.

I do not dispute the history of the early christian church; in fact, I would agree that all of us who are "Protestors" owe a debt of gratitude for the safekeeping of early records.

However, I do not agree with many practices of the current Roman Catholic doctrines. Primarily, I am speaking of the veneration of Mary and the whole concept of "Saints" which is not of GOD, but was conceptualized and implemented by MAN. The Bible clearly says, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." It also says that we are all equal in the sight of God. By raising any mortal above any other mortal in such a way as the "Saints" are and by praying TO THEM... that is praying TO MORTALS... you are in fact saying that they have more clout with God, are more loved by Him, and have a higher standing with Him than any of the rest of us. This is not biblical, in fact it borders on idolatry in my mind because you are in fact praying to someone other than God.

It was only after the beginning of these practices, that the "protestant" movement began. these practices were not a part of the early church that was referenced.

~C

MamaMidwife said...

Methinks I have sparked a fire???

I love you both.

Just wanted to pick *everyones'* brains.....not meant as a personal attack on anyone.

Theologically speaking, I think we all have more in common than not.

~H

laurazim said...

Not at all, dear. Lively theological debate is a wonderful way to help others understand our faith, no matter what it is.

I'd love to clarify the misunderstanding that's been raised here, and I'll do so in a post of my own--perhaps this afternoon, if I get a moment. Believe me, it's one that is very common, even among Catholics who have not been properly taught the faith. To "pray to" saints is not at all the same as to ask for their intercession, which is really what happens in Catholic prayer. As I said, though, I'll post an entry in my own blog to address this.

Love to you both, C and H (hey, what are you...sugar?)

:)
In Him