I have written about the need for Catholics to reclaim the essence of Catholic identity before. Here is a summary, as I am aware of the nonsense on line and in conversations, which reveals a Protestant mind-set.
1) Anti-intellectualism is NOT Catholic. We have a long tradition of intellectual discussion, as seen in the perfection series on this blog, which covers only a tiny bit of the vast writings of the Doctors of the Church. The Catholic Church, and especially our Pope Emeritus Benedict, have always stressed the need to be rational and enter into rational discourse. Discussion and learning are part and parcel of a Catholic identity.
Those who are anti-intellectual by choice reveal a lack of a Catholic mind-set. We are not a religion based on experience of Christ alone, but on the long history of Tradition and the Revelation of the Old and New Testaments, which we, as adults, must study.
If you are a person who does not want to study your Faith, go be a low Church Protestant and rely on outward manifestations only. This is not the Catholic way.
2) Catholics are basically sacramental in theology and piety. This means that our lay lives revolve around the reception frequently of Confession and Holy Communion. Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, obviously, is connected to the love of the Sacrament. If we are not basically sacramental, and this may also include the Liturgy of the Hours, which is connected to the Liturgical Year, then we do not have the mind of a Catholic.
Those who busy themselves with other types of activities may be ignoring the life of the sacraments, which is sanctifying grace. Remember, one cannot get sanctifying grace outside the sacraments, unless God chooses to work in an unusual manner. The sacramental life of the Church was established by God, by Christ, while on earth. Actual grace, yes.
3) Love of the clergy and hierarchy are signs of a Catholic mindset. If one finds one's self not honoring God's priests, bishops, cardinals, and those in the religious life, that may betray a non-Catholic mind set.
4) The pursuit of perfection is a sign of a Catholic identity. Why? One of the results of the Protestant Revolt was the dumbing down of the pursuit of holiness. Lutheran-ism stressed that God merely did not see our sins because of the Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross, not that these were actually taken away. Confession was abolished as well as the Mass, eliminating the two main ways to perfection-repentance and the Real Presence. Holiness became connected to success in the world, the supposed sign of election.
The interior life suffered for the sake of the pursuit of the exterior life. This is not Catholic thinking.
5) Obedience as a main virtue is the mark of a Catholic identity. A person who constantly questions and challenges the teachings of the Church and does not abide by these, that is, a person living in mortal sin, indicates a false belief in the fundamental option. We are NOT once saved, always saved.
We work out our salvation in fear and trembling.
To be continued...as there is more on the Catholic mind-set or way of thinking.
