Catholic and catholic

The Church, especially in the English language, has multiple I nstances where the same word has multiple meanings. It's very similar to how lead and lead, while spelled the same, are two very distinct things. For the Church, the word “catholic” has multiple meanings, and which meaning is being used is commonly distinguished by the use of capital letters: Catholic and catholic.

Small “c” catholic refers to the Greek understanding of “katholikos,” meaning “universal.” It’s the universality of the Church to encompass every creature and culture, and call every person to live their life in Christ and for Christ. In Matthew 13:47, our Lord says, “The kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind”, thus making clear the embrace and mission of the Church extends to all people: rich or poor, educated or uneducated, saints and sinners; nobody is to be denied the love of the Christ because of their race, ethnicity, nationality, or class. Thus the Church proposes to all, no matter who they are, the lofty ideal of holiness: to be saints; to raise them up and call them to “go and sin no more” (John 8:11). To be catholic means also to humbly accept the universal authority and fullness of truth found in Christ and His Church, thereby becoming not just catholic, but Catholic.

Big “C” Catholic refers to the Catholic Church, as the divinely instituted church of our Lord, Jesus Christ. All religions, and some more than others, possess elements of the truth, but none except the Catholic Church possesses the fullness of truth. The universality of the Church means she holds all truths, both those easy to embrace (the resurrection, heaven, forgiveness, the Eucharist) and those more difficult and demanding (the crucifixion, hell, sin, confession). When one decides to embrace all these catholic truths, they would want to be Catholic: a full member of Christ’s Church.

The Roman Catholic Church, while by far the largest Catholic Church, is one of 24 Catholic Churches, all headed by and in complete union with the Pope. The other 23 churches are known as the “Eastern Churches”. These 24 Catholic churches, which have diverse traditions and customs and encompass people from all over the world, showcase the catholic nature of the Church, as while all her members across these 24 Churches are very different, we accept all that the Christ and his Church teaches.

Every Sunday, we profess our faith that the Church is catholic. As we do so, may we be truly catholic - by welcoming all people to Christ, and by embracing all truths taught by the Church.