Gospel Luke 13:18-21
Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
Reflection
Again he said, “To what shall I compare the Kingdom of God? It is like yeast that a woman took and mixed in with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch of dough was leavened.”
Is the Kingdom of God in me? Am I allowing the truths of my faith to permeate me?
I am Catholic.
What does it mean to be Catholic? What does Catholic mean?
Catholic comes from a Greek word, "katholikos." This means "throughout the whole" and from inside out. Like the yeast mixed in with the flour in the Gospel, over time the yeast permeates throughout the dough. This is how I should be Catholic. The truths of my faith should permeate throughout me. It should be a part of me like the yeast is a part of the dough. What does this mean in connection with being Catholic?
It means that we believe that Jesus Christ is the son of God. We submit ourselves to Jesus as God. This means that we as Catholics worship Him. When we worship Jesus, Our Lord, we kneel and bow before Him. We worship Jesus, God, who died on the cross for us. In the Catholic Churches we have Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, the Holy Eucharist. I believe this and when I receive Him in Holy Eucharist, He is becoming a part of me!
What makes a Catholic unique? How do we think Catholic? There are three ways.
The first thing about Catholicism that is unique is we are sacramentum or sacramental. Jesus instituted the seven sacraments. "Sacra" means sacred and "mentum" means instrument. Sacrament means a sacred sign or instrument which has a power to give us grace or God's life within us. We believe this truth.
The second is mediation. The Sacrament mediates, or creates the affect of the symbol or sign of the Sacrament. For example, in the Sacrament of Baptism, the priest calls on the Blessed Trinity to mediate the Sacrament. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are present and remove the original sin and change the one baptized into a child of God. The Sacrament has the power to affect the lives, or changes the lives of the people by receiving grace from that Sacrament.
The third part is communion. We need to be in community with others. They, the community, are there to celebrate the Sacrament. Communion is mediated through the community and through the church and through the sacraments.
When we think Catholic, we think Sacramental, we think liturgy. Sacramental is liturgy. Liturgy is communion. Liturgy means public worship. We serve God in the liturgy. There is so much more to this statement, that I could write pages to explain it.
During the time that I have been attending PAPA FACE ZBS - Sunday Liturgy Series, I am learning how to think Catholic and how to Think Critically. To learn more and to understand Catholicism and How to think Catholic, check out the PAPA ZBS YouTube series on our Website.
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