Our identity and the three principles

Simon Peter, also known as the Rock, was one of the original members of the Church of Christ. He was the first Pope of our Church, specifically our Catholic Church.

We must always be aware that we are a Catholic Church. We are not an Orthodox Church. We are not a Protestant Church. We are a Catholic Church with a direct line to Jesus Christ.

But what does it mean to be Catholic?

As Catholics we must be aware of our identity and the identity of our Church. By Catholic, we are not talking about a club. We are not talking about a group or an organization. We must understand the meaning of the word Catholic—the “catholicity” of the Church. 

The word Catholic is a very powerful word. It means universal. It means we are open to all truths and we accept every authentic value. It may not be inside our Church, it may occur outside our Church, it may even be beyond our Church. But everyone or everything or anything that is true and good that comes from the Lord, we accept whether it comes from within, outside, or beyond our Church.

Our philosophy is both and and, not either, or. We accept faith and works; they are inseparable. We accept scripture and tradition. We accept body and soul—spiritual and material. Our salvation is both material and spiritual liberation. We believe in unity in diversity not unity in uniformity.

So, to be Catholic is to be universal. To be Catholic is to be open to all truths. To be Catholic is to be open to every authentic value. To be Catholic is to believe in the philosophy of both and and, not either, or.

The opposite of catholicity, the opposite of being Catholic is not being Protestant. The opposite of being Catholic is being sectarian.

And as Catholics, what do we believe in? What are our fundamental beliefs as Catholics? What are the basic principles of Catholicity? As Catholics we have three fundamental principles:

The Principle of Sacramentality: We believe that each and one of us, all His creations make God present in the world. God reveals His presence through all things, visible and invisible. God reveals his presence in nature, in events, in movement, in experiences, individuals, objects, and images—that is why we have our statues in our churches. That is why we believe that in the Eucharist, God is in the living bread.

The Principle of Mediation: We believe in “mediatorship”—medium, instruments. We believe God channels His grace through His creations, through all things, through each one of us. The greatest mediator is no other than Jesus Christ, the mediator par excellence, the mediator between God and man. The Church is also a mediator. It is a mediator between God and the world.

Each one of us can be the medium of God’s grace. God uses and will use each one of us as instruments of His grace and blessing. So let us be open to that. Let us be aware that we can be the instruments of God’s graciousness and therefore we must allow ourselves and be ready at all times to welcome and be instruments of God’s blessing and mercy.

The Principle of Communion: Faith is personal, but faith is not private. You cannot grow in faith alone, so to speak. We are social beings. We cannot be isolated from one another. You cannot grow in faith isolated from the rest of humanity. We need a community to strengthen, to nurture, to inspire and to preserve our faith. And that is what we do during Mass, we gather as a community. The community strengthens our faith. It strengthens our resolve because it is in the community that God channels His grace for the sake of the world.

Let us be aware of our identity as a Church and as Catholics in the light of the life and mission of Jesus Christ. We, all of us who are baptized in Jesus Christ, are the Church in modern times. 

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Simon Peter, also known as the Rock, was one of the original members of the Church of Christ. He was the first Pope of our Church, specifically our Catholic Church.