The Catholic Identity series features guest posts that reflect unique Catholic voices exploring the concept of Catholic Identity, personally and professionally. In this article, Dcn. Matthew Halbach, Ph.D., Catholic speaker, author, and consultant, shares what his faith means to him as a husband, father, and deacon. Read more and download a Catholic Identity Activity to complete and share.
When I think of what Catholic identity means to me, I think of what makes us most ourselves. Catholic identity, while it has to do with believing and living the Catholic faith, is also more universal than this. For example, Catholics believe, as a foundational doctrine, that God made every human person in his own image and likeness. This, in fact, is what the first chapter of the Book of Genesis teaches:
Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” (Gen 1:26-28)
So, in a sense, to speak of our Catholic identity is to speak of our identity as a child of God, which is our most fundamental identity—deeper than anything else that may describe who we are.
More specifically, though, Catholic identity, in my opinion, has to do with choosing to adopt those beliefs and practices that are uniquely Catholic. A great example would be the Catholic teaching that the Eucharist is the Real Presence of Jesus; that somehow God, through the ordained minister, changes the essence of the bread and wine, which Catholics receive at Mass, into the body and blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.
The purpose of receiving Jesus this way is to become more like him—to be, as it were, Jesus for others. This, of course, brings us back to the first teaching I mentioned, that all are called to discover and live their identity as children of God.
All are called to discover and live their identity as children of God
Ideal for use with children and families, this customizable booklet invites reflection and expression of our unique Catholic identity and faith experiences. Download the free booklet with instructions and a corresponding Catholic identity sticker set to affix to completed pages. Add pages focused on prayer, evangelization, learning, and celebrating.
Catholics who embrace their Catholic identity are necessarily missionary-minded; that is, they desire to share the Good News of Jesus with others, and they do this by what they say and how they treat others. Evangelization not only includes sharing the teachings of Jesus, but also living as a sign of his presence in this world, as a witness of his presence among us. This includes sharing our faith through actions and attitudes that resonate with gospel teachings and values, especially the call to love our neighbor as ourselves.
Catholics who are witnessing to their faith are fully embracing their Catholic identity. Despite conventional attitudes about religion, faith is not something we are meant to keep to ourselves. It is meant to be shared. Just as love is meant to be shared. We are called to share the faith in a loving way.
Catholic identity is how we live out the Catholic faith within our own lives, our own specific vocations, and each vocation is different. When I think about Catholic identity in terms of my role as a deacon, for example, I think of what it means to be a deacon. A deacon is called and formed to be a public minister and servant of Christ in the church, and in his own family. As a deacon, I express my Catholic identity best when I preach and serve at mass, and when I minister to those who are poor and marginalized or to anyone in need of service. In other words, I live my Catholic Identity when I embrace my vocation as a deacon.
I hope you are seeing the connection here between our own vocation and Catholic Identity: When the Catholic faith becomes the center of our daily living, that is when we are living our Catholic identity. We can’t live this identity outside of our personal vocation. I am a deacon, a husband, and a father. As such, I am living my Catholic identity in each of these vocations. I am truly blessed to be able to do what I do. But I do what I do because of who I am. I am a child of God and a Catholic.
This article is fifth in a series on Catholic identity. Visit the Sadlier Religion Blog to read previous and upcoming guest posts written by individuals who serve the Church in many ways. Each author will reflect on what Catholic identity means to them personally in their life and work.
