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Why Be Catholic?: Understanding Our Experience and Tradition
The authors answer the question, Why Be Catholic? fairly and squarely, showing a deep appreciation about what is good in Catholicism and a penetrating honesty about the Church's shortcomings. Rohr and Martos also examine what it means to be Catholic in the United States today. Finally, to answer the title question in a more personal way, they present portraits of some outstanding Catholics, especially those we call saints, who have found personal fulfillment by living their faith to the utmost.After reading this book, you will appreciate more fully the unique heritage of the Catholic Church. You will understand how its magnificent tradition enriches the lives of Catholics today and propels the ever-changing Church into the 21st century and third millennium. A popular resource for RCIA, evangelization and religious education.
209 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 17, 2011
48 people are currently reading
20 people want to read
About the author
Richard Rohr
256 books2,377 followersFr. Richard Rohr is a globally recognized ecumenical teacher bearing witness to the universal awakening within Christian mysticism and the Perennial Tradition. He is a Franciscan priest of the New Mexico Province and founder of the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fr. Richard's teaching is grounded in the Franciscan alternative orthodoxy—practices of contemplation and expressing itself in radical compassion, particularly for the socially marginalized.
Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).
Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.
Fr. Richard is author of numerous books, including Everything Belongs, Adam’s Return, The Naked Now, Breathing Under Water, Falling Upward, Immortal Diamond, Eager to Love, and The Divine Dance: The Trinity and Your Transformation (with Mike Morrell).
Fr. Richard is academic Dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. Drawing upon Christianity's place within the Perennial Tradition, the mission of the Living School is to produce compassionate and powerfully learned individuals who will work for positive change in the world based on awareness of our common union with God and all beings. Visit cac.org for more information.
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May 18, 2024
A PRESENTATION OF FOUR LECTURES GIVEN BY RICHARD ROHR IN 1985
Coauthor Joseph Martos wrote in the Preface to this 1989 book, “In 1985 Franciscan Father Richard Rohr presented four talks at St. Francis Renewal Center … He spoke on a topic of increasing concern to many people … the meaning of their identification with the Christian tradition and the purpose of their membership in the Roman Catholic Church… The spirit of reform in the first years after the [Vatican] Council eliminated much that had been uniquely Catholic in the Church’s public life… During the 1980s the pace of practical reform slowed down, however, and those who viewed may traditional Catholic practices as antiquated saw their hopes of Church renewal fading… On both the right and the left, therefore, Catholic s have been wondering about the Church and their role in it…
“I, as theologian and teacher at Xavier University, experienced it both within the academic world and within the pastoral world of parish life… Richard Rohr and I believe that the truth is to be found in that broad middle ground where tension is experienced the most. The truth is to be lived … by accepting the Catholic heritage while working to change the institutional Church from within… Those who listened to Richard’s talks in 1985 came to understand how challenging it is to be truly Catholic… When I listened to the tapes of those talks, I felt that Richard’s understanding deserved to reach a wider audience… I took on the task of editing those tapes and writing a book that expressed the understanding we both have about the tradition we call our own.”
In the Introduction, he states “Young Catholics today… usually in young adulthood… have to face seriously the question, Why be Catholic? Older Catholics today… sometimes find themselves wondering… Why remain Catholic?... The answer to that question, however, cannot be simple… We have to develop an appreciation about what is good in Catholicism, but we also have to be honest about the Church’s shortcomings… we have to look at what it means to be Catholic in the United States today… Finally… we have to ask what kind of person we can expect to become if we take our Catholic faith seriously.”
The first chapter begins by asking, “What’s great about being Catholic? Tradition. The answer to this chapter’s question can be given in that single word… Catholicism is … a religious tradition with both Eastern and Western cultural elements... As an Eastern tradition, Christianity is a wisdom tradition… As a Western tradition, Christianity is a practical tradition.” (Pg. 3-4)
It continues, “Just as the call to personal conversion leads beyond the individual to community, so also the invitation to community ultimately leads beyond itself…. The apostles …realized that the good news that Jesus had revealed was meant … for the whole world… The mission of the Church is to complete what the apostles began. The Church is a sign of Christ’s continue presence in the world.” (Pg. 22) It adds, “Its mission is the extension of the Kingdom to all people and the transformation of the world into the Kingdom of God… The Church itself is meant to be a transformed society, a place where God’s love is experienced in community.” (Pg. 23)
In the second chapter, they observe, “The greater the light, the darker the shadow it casts… The same is true of great institutions, such as the Catholic Church… the brightness of Catholicism comes, first of all, from Jesus, from the revelation that he was and from the gospel that he preached… The darkness of Catholicism likewise comes from many sources. Jesus did not say everything that could be said about the gospel, and so Christians have sometimes misinterpreted his message… The Church is not perfect today partly because of the shadows it has inherited.” (Pg. 37-38)
They observe, “The role of leadership in the Church is to strengthen the members of the Church. Too often in the past, however, the … people obeyed, but they did not develop a mature faith of their own. That is the weakness of a strong institution. The Church… did not… demand that they become disciples of Christ and followers of the gospel, only followers of the clergy. It did not give them a moral vision that went much beyond keeping the Commandments and avoiding sexual impurity. It did not suggest that they should take personal responsibility or their own moral decisions or adult responsibility for shaping the world into God’s kingdom.” (Pg. 48)
They continue, “Today… Catholicism is in danger of losing its soul. The Second Vatican Council eliminated much of the medievalism in the Church but with it went much of the Catholic tradition’s feminine spirituality. On the surface we can see changes such as the decrease in Marian devotion and the slow substitution of secular clothing for clerical dress. Beneath the surface, however, deeper and less visible changes are occurring. The issue is one of spirituality…” (Pg. 62)
They point out, “Before the Second Vatican Council, Catholics had a pretty clear idea of what it meant to be Catholic. Being Catholic meant going to Mass every Sunday and to confession at least once a year… Most Catholics tended to identify their faith with the external observances and doctrinal beliefs that set them apart from other Christians.” (Pg. 71)
They add, “Ethnic Catholicism in America, however, is breaking down. The old parish is not what it used to be. Catholic families are not carrying on the customs and traditions of their grandparents… We no longer are automatically, ethnically Catholic. As a result, we have little awareness of what the Catholic answers to our real life questions could be. If we are to find those answers in the Catholic Church of today and tomorrow, we have to look at four areas of Catholic life… religious experience, Catholic identity, Church authority and personal mission.” (Pg. 77)
They summarize, “It is not easy, perhaps it is not even possible, to life the life of Jesus along. This is why for those who follow Jesus it is necessary to be a church, a Body of Christ. The mission of each Christian is to life the good news, just as Jesus did. But the mission cannot be accomplished… without the support of sisters and brothers in the Lord… If the Church is to be renewed in our day…it must be through the new life that Jesus has given us and made possible for us… But that can only happen if each of us makes Christ’s mission our own personal mission.” (Pg. 109)
In the final chapter, they note, “One of the best ways to understand our own religious tradition is to recall that litany of individuals whom we recognize as having been great Christians… the people we call saints are the heroes and heroines of that story. They are at once the paragons of Christianity and the paradigms of Christian living.” (Pg.111-112)
They acknowledge, “A quarter-century ago the Second Vatican Council told religious orders to reform themselves by returning to the charism of their founder, yet when the orders actually have done this the hierarchy have sometimes resisted. They bemoan the fact that nuns so not wear habits… They decry the fact that priests and brothers are leaving large institutions empty...” (Pg. 125)
They conclude, “Some saints stand out before all the world. Even people who are not Catholics, or who are not Christians perhaps, see in their lives a spiritual greatness that is as deep as it is broad. They see dedication and conviction, purity and loyalty, love and openness that are rare by human standards…” (Pg. 141) “this brief list of exemplary saints … could not be complete without mentioning St. Francis of Assisi… it is impossible to classify him except by calling him an exemplar of Christian holiness.” (Pg. 142)
This book will interest reflective Catholics, and related spiritual ‘seekers.’
Coauthor Joseph Martos wrote in the Preface to this 1989 book, “In 1985 Franciscan Father Richard Rohr presented four talks at St. Francis Renewal Center … He spoke on a topic of increasing concern to many people … the meaning of their identification with the Christian tradition and the purpose of their membership in the Roman Catholic Church… The spirit of reform in the first years after the [Vatican] Council eliminated much that had been uniquely Catholic in the Church’s public life… During the 1980s the pace of practical reform slowed down, however, and those who viewed may traditional Catholic practices as antiquated saw their hopes of Church renewal fading… On both the right and the left, therefore, Catholic s have been wondering about the Church and their role in it…
“I, as theologian and teacher at Xavier University, experienced it both within the academic world and within the pastoral world of parish life… Richard Rohr and I believe that the truth is to be found in that broad middle ground where tension is experienced the most. The truth is to be lived … by accepting the Catholic heritage while working to change the institutional Church from within… Those who listened to Richard’s talks in 1985 came to understand how challenging it is to be truly Catholic… When I listened to the tapes of those talks, I felt that Richard’s understanding deserved to reach a wider audience… I took on the task of editing those tapes and writing a book that expressed the understanding we both have about the tradition we call our own.”
In the Introduction, he states “Young Catholics today… usually in young adulthood… have to face seriously the question, Why be Catholic? Older Catholics today… sometimes find themselves wondering… Why remain Catholic?... The answer to that question, however, cannot be simple… We have to develop an appreciation about what is good in Catholicism, but we also have to be honest about the Church’s shortcomings… we have to look at what it means to be Catholic in the United States today… Finally… we have to ask what kind of person we can expect to become if we take our Catholic faith seriously.”
The first chapter begins by asking, “What’s great about being Catholic? Tradition. The answer to this chapter’s question can be given in that single word… Catholicism is … a religious tradition with both Eastern and Western cultural elements... As an Eastern tradition, Christianity is a wisdom tradition… As a Western tradition, Christianity is a practical tradition.” (Pg. 3-4)
It continues, “Just as the call to personal conversion leads beyond the individual to community, so also the invitation to community ultimately leads beyond itself…. The apostles …realized that the good news that Jesus had revealed was meant … for the whole world… The mission of the Church is to complete what the apostles began. The Church is a sign of Christ’s continue presence in the world.” (Pg. 22) It adds, “Its mission is the extension of the Kingdom to all people and the transformation of the world into the Kingdom of God… The Church itself is meant to be a transformed society, a place where God’s love is experienced in community.” (Pg. 23)
In the second chapter, they observe, “The greater the light, the darker the shadow it casts… The same is true of great institutions, such as the Catholic Church… the brightness of Catholicism comes, first of all, from Jesus, from the revelation that he was and from the gospel that he preached… The darkness of Catholicism likewise comes from many sources. Jesus did not say everything that could be said about the gospel, and so Christians have sometimes misinterpreted his message… The Church is not perfect today partly because of the shadows it has inherited.” (Pg. 37-38)
They observe, “The role of leadership in the Church is to strengthen the members of the Church. Too often in the past, however, the … people obeyed, but they did not develop a mature faith of their own. That is the weakness of a strong institution. The Church… did not… demand that they become disciples of Christ and followers of the gospel, only followers of the clergy. It did not give them a moral vision that went much beyond keeping the Commandments and avoiding sexual impurity. It did not suggest that they should take personal responsibility or their own moral decisions or adult responsibility for shaping the world into God’s kingdom.” (Pg. 48)
They continue, “Today… Catholicism is in danger of losing its soul. The Second Vatican Council eliminated much of the medievalism in the Church but with it went much of the Catholic tradition’s feminine spirituality. On the surface we can see changes such as the decrease in Marian devotion and the slow substitution of secular clothing for clerical dress. Beneath the surface, however, deeper and less visible changes are occurring. The issue is one of spirituality…” (Pg. 62)
They point out, “Before the Second Vatican Council, Catholics had a pretty clear idea of what it meant to be Catholic. Being Catholic meant going to Mass every Sunday and to confession at least once a year… Most Catholics tended to identify their faith with the external observances and doctrinal beliefs that set them apart from other Christians.” (Pg. 71)
They add, “Ethnic Catholicism in America, however, is breaking down. The old parish is not what it used to be. Catholic families are not carrying on the customs and traditions of their grandparents… We no longer are automatically, ethnically Catholic. As a result, we have little awareness of what the Catholic answers to our real life questions could be. If we are to find those answers in the Catholic Church of today and tomorrow, we have to look at four areas of Catholic life… religious experience, Catholic identity, Church authority and personal mission.” (Pg. 77)
They summarize, “It is not easy, perhaps it is not even possible, to life the life of Jesus along. This is why for those who follow Jesus it is necessary to be a church, a Body of Christ. The mission of each Christian is to life the good news, just as Jesus did. But the mission cannot be accomplished… without the support of sisters and brothers in the Lord… If the Church is to be renewed in our day…it must be through the new life that Jesus has given us and made possible for us… But that can only happen if each of us makes Christ’s mission our own personal mission.” (Pg. 109)
In the final chapter, they note, “One of the best ways to understand our own religious tradition is to recall that litany of individuals whom we recognize as having been great Christians… the people we call saints are the heroes and heroines of that story. They are at once the paragons of Christianity and the paradigms of Christian living.” (Pg.111-112)
They acknowledge, “A quarter-century ago the Second Vatican Council told religious orders to reform themselves by returning to the charism of their founder, yet when the orders actually have done this the hierarchy have sometimes resisted. They bemoan the fact that nuns so not wear habits… They decry the fact that priests and brothers are leaving large institutions empty...” (Pg. 125)
They conclude, “Some saints stand out before all the world. Even people who are not Catholics, or who are not Christians perhaps, see in their lives a spiritual greatness that is as deep as it is broad. They see dedication and conviction, purity and loyalty, love and openness that are rare by human standards…” (Pg. 141) “this brief list of exemplary saints … could not be complete without mentioning St. Francis of Assisi… it is impossible to classify him except by calling him an exemplar of Christian holiness.” (Pg. 142)
This book will interest reflective Catholics, and related spiritual ‘seekers.’
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