What Is Catholicism?

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.”

— John 20:19-23

This was the beginning of the “birthday,” as you may call it, of the Christian faith. We celebrate Pentecost as the birth of the universal Church, Catholicism. Which is actually what the word Catholic means: universal church. The word Catholic comes from the Greek word katholikos, which means "universal" or "according to the whole."

The earliest known use of the term “Catholic” comes from Saint Ignatius of Antioch around 107 A.D.: "Wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the Catholic Church."

For those who are skeptical of saints, just a little background on Ignatius. He was an early Christian born around 35–50 A.D, just missing Jesus but still in the same time period. He was a disciple of the Apostle John, the same John who wrote the Gospel. He is a second-generation of sharing Jesus's teachings. Eventually, he was arrested for being a Christian and taken to Rome, where he was martyred. 

Catholics use this word because Christ founded one universal Church for all people, not just one nation or group. This is why the Nicene Creed, which is read at every Mass, states, "I believe in one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church."

The Nicene Creed was made around 325 A.D., by the Council of Nicaea. The bishops of the Church met and defined key doctrines that would become part of the Nicene Creed.

The bishops, from then all the way to now, can be tracked and are the successors of Jesus' chosen Apostles. They were not some random men who woke up one day thinking, "Man, I'm going to start a church, and my bud Philip is going to help me." No. They were still following the teachings and traditions passed down to them. It was only by these traditions that we ended up with Christianity today.

And we can all thank the wonderful Council of Rome under Pope Damasus I, which officially listed the 73 books still recognized as the Bible today. Not only was it recognized by the Council of Rome, but the Council of Hippo and the Council of Carthage confirmed the same canon.

What Does the Church Teach?

The Catholic Church has two thousand years of traditions and beliefs. Before I summarize what the Catholic Church teaches, let me just quickly list for you what it does not teach.

Catholics do not worship Mary, the Saints, the Pope, or any religious figure. We do not pray to statues, paintings, or pictures. We are Christians. We did not add books to the Bible. We do not believe in just working alone. Catholics can indeed read the Bible for themselves. We do not believe the Pope is sinless. We do not think non-Catholics can ever be saved. We do not believe Tradition is more important than Scripture. Yes, we believe the Eucharist is the Body of Christ, but no, it is not cannibalism. We did not invent purgatory in the Middle Ages. We do not believe faith is unnecessary as long as you are a good person. We do not blindly obey whatever the Pope says. We are not against science. We didn't change Christianity after the Apostles; we carried it along. We do not believe priests are holier than ordinary people.

If you have been told one or more of the things just stated, you have been lied to. I am a Catholic, and I am fully aware of who I pray to and believe in. As the Nicene Creed says, and I believe, "I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, creator of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible." Anything contrary to that is BS, and I would be rethinking the role and influence that person who told you otherwise has in your life.

Now here is my ever-so-brief summary of the Catholic Church's beliefs and teachings. Those who are not Catholic reading this will be pleasantly surprised, or mad, I don't know where you stand with us, but you will be able to see how similar we may be to your beliefs and how we indeed are, in fact, Christians.

The Catholic Church teaches that there is one God who exists as three Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God created the world out of love and created every human person in His image and likeness to know Him, love Him, and be with Him forever.

The Church teaches that humanity fell into sin through the disobedience of our first parents, Adam and Eve. Because of sin, humanity became separated from God and could not save itself.

Many thousands of years later, out of love, God sent His Son, who is fully God and fully man, named Jesus Christ. Jesus lived a perfect life, taught the truth, died on the cross for our sins, rose from the dead, and opened the way to eternal life. Salvation comes through God's grace won by Christ and received through faith, baptism, and a life of discipleship.

The Church teaches that Jesus founded one Church and entrusted it to the Apostles, especially Saint Peter. “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church; and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.” — Matthew 16:18.

This Church continues today through the successors of the Apostles who are now called bishops, united with the Pope, the successor of Peter.

Catholics believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God and that God also guides the Church through Sacred Tradition. Together, Scripture and Tradition form one deposit of faith entrusted to the Church.