Rachel Evans
Thinking Catholic is a mindset, an attitude, and a collection of insights, presumptions, priorities, and directions that are derived from faith. It is not just about knowing what Christ and the Church teach, but about applying these teachings to one's life. This includes attitudes towards the world, God, prayer, the meaning of effort and suffering, success and failure, possessions, and the Church. Thinking like a Catholic requires a foundation of knowledge and truth about God, Jesus, the Church, and the world, as well as ongoing learning and reflection. It involves seeking right standing with God by following Christ's example and allowing his moral excellence to be infused into one's life. This Catholic mindset is influenced by one's family, culture, and exposure to secular mentalities, and it is constantly evolving as Catholics face modern challenges and external threats.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Thinking like a Catholic is a mindset, an attitude of the heart | Derived from faith |
| It is not automatic and must be learned | Derived from family and community |
| It is a lifelong learning process | Must focus primarily on religious elements |
| It is a bundle of insights, presumptions, and priorities | Must break away from secular culture |
| It is about achieving right standing with God | Must not compromise on truths |
| It is about approaching every situation with the mind of Christ | Must focus on prayer, sharing, community, and reflection |
| It is about seeking the truth through history, philosophy, literature, or theology | Must not be forced and must be a free choice |
| It is about being part of a community |
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What You'll Learn
Reduce exposure to secular mentalities
To think like a Catholic, one must first understand that it is a mindset, an attitude of the heart, a bundle of insights, presumptions, priorities, and directions that are derived from faith. It is a way of thinking that strengthens and vitalizes the practice of faith, providing a sense of equilibrium in a crazy world.
However, in today's world, Catholics are constantly exposed to secular mentalities that can influence their way of thinking. To truly think like a Catholic, one must actively reduce their exposure to these secular influences. Here are some ways to achieve this:
Recognize the Influence of Media: Understand that television, the internet, music, and movies all play a significant role in shaping our thoughts and beliefs. Secular values and messages are often promoted and normalized through these mediums. Be mindful of the content you consume and seek alternatives that align with Catholic values.
Focus on Religious Elements: The Catholic Church is primarily about religious elements, not social activities or entertainment. Ensure that your engagement with the Church focuses on spiritual growth, prayer, and the teachings of Christ.
Limit Exposure to Secular Culture: Modern culture often promotes individualism, critical thinking, and revolution, which can conflict with Catholic teachings. While it is not feasible to completely avoid secular culture, be cautious of the time you spend in secular environments and the influence it may have on your mindset.
Seek Catholic Community: Surround yourself with like-minded individuals who share your Catholic beliefs. Join Catholic groups, participate in parish activities, and engage in discussions with other Catholics to strengthen your understanding and application of Catholic thinking.
Educate Yourself: Study Scripture, Church teachings, and the lives of saints to gain a deeper understanding of Catholic thought. By immersing yourself in Catholic resources, you can develop a stronger foundation for your beliefs and be better equipped to recognize and counter secular mentalities.
By actively reducing exposure to secular mentalities and focusing on Catholic teachings and community, one can cultivate a mindset that aligns with the principles and values of the Catholic faith.
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Focus on religious elements
To think like a Catholic, one must focus on the religious elements of the faith. This means adopting a Catholic mindset, which is a way of thinking that is derived from faith and shapes one's attitudes, insights, and priorities.
At its core, Catholic thinking revolves around the belief in God and Jesus Christ, and the teachings of the Church. Catholics strive to follow Christ's example and achieve right standing with God through his grace. This includes the belief in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which is a fundamental truth of the Catholic faith.
To cultivate a Catholic mindset, one must actively seek to learn and understand these religious elements. This can be achieved through Scripture study, Church teachings, prayer, and participation in the community of believers. It is a lifelong journey of spiritual growth and discovery, where one continually encounters Christ and deepens their relationship with God.
In today's secular culture, it can be challenging to maintain a solely Catholic mindset. Exposure to diverse beliefs and values can influence one's thinking, and Catholics may find themselves questioning or compromising their faith. To think like a Catholic in a modern world, one must be discerning, selectively reducing exposure to secular influences that contradict Catholic teachings.
Additionally, Catholics should remember that thinking like a Catholic is not just about intellectual knowledge but also about a transformation of the heart. It involves adopting a certain attitude and allowing one's faith to govern their actions and choices in life. This includes making good choices, exhibiting Christ-like behaviour, and living a life of service and love, even amidst struggles and rejection from society.
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Learn from family
Family is an integral part of Catholic life and thinking. If you are lucky enough to be born into a family of people who think Catholic, you will learn the fundamental lessons from your parents, siblings, and other family members. Basic attitudes about the world, God, prayer, the meaning of effort and suffering, success and failure, possessions, and the Church all come to us through our families. We learn most of these lessons unconsciously, simply by watching and listening to those around us.
As we grow up, what we have learned in our families is both supplemented and tested. We launch into individual independence, and new challenges arise. We may have learned the principles, but now we must apply them to specific circumstances. If we have learned the fundamentals of thinking like a Catholic at home, we at least have a foundation. Thinking Catholic presupposes a certain fund of informational knowledge, truths about God, Jesus, the Church, and the world, and standards of behavior.
Family relationships are the primary means God uses to help us become the people he created us to be, so family life is of utmost importance in the Catholic faith. Catholics are encouraged to create and protect family rituals—like regular family dinners, time for prayer and worship, weekly game nights and family days, and regularly scheduled times for communication and relationship-building—that give families regular time to work, play, talk, and pray together.
Children learn best from stories and personal experiences. If parents expose their children to stories about the lives of the saints and give them opportunities to experience the beauty of their faith, these formative moments will be deeply etched on their memories. From the stories of Child Jesus, they will learn how to act and how to obey, how to love, and how to pray. By creating your own little Nazareth, your family can imbibe the lessons of the Holy Family and become solidly rooted in the virtues that build up both the family and the world.
Children will also learn obedience to their parents' will, a training exercise in obedience to the will of God. As St. Luke tells us, even Jesus "was obedient to them" (Luke 2:51–52). Obedience fosters the virtue of humility, which is the foundation of all virtues and, with love, forms the core of holiness. Discipline is critical in fostering holiness in the family. God gave parents the duty to discipline their children, and parents are accountable to God for the souls and the formation of their children. Children cannot learn virtue without the guidance and example of self-giving parents.
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Understand the fundamentals
Thinking like a Catholic is a mindset, an attitude, and a set of priorities derived from faith. It is not just about knowing the teachings of Christ and the Church, but rather a way of thinking that governs one's entire outlook and behaviour.
To understand the fundamentals of thinking like a Catholic, one must first recognise the importance of faith and the role it plays in one's life. This includes accepting the teachings of the Church and seeking to live by them. It is about embracing a Catholic way of thinking, which may differ from secular culture and mentalities. This can include traditional views on abortion, divorce, sexual activity, and homosexual behaviour, which may be at odds with modern societal norms.
Additionally, understanding the fundamentals involves recognising the centrality of Christ. Catholics believe that God gives humans right standing by placing Christ's goodness and virtue into their hearts. This is achieved by following Christ's example, with the help of His grace, and allowing Christ to live out His life of obedience within us. Catholics also believe in the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, which has been a teaching of the Church for over 2,000 years.
Another fundamental aspect of Catholic thinking is the concept of conversion and spiritual growth. Catholics believe that conversion is not a one-time event but a lifelong process of continual discovery and encounter with Christ. This journey may involve struggles and obstacles, but it is through these challenges that one can grow closer to God and become the person He intended them to be.
Finally, thinking like a Catholic involves understanding the role of the Church and its teachings. The Church provides guidance, community, and spiritual formation through rituals such as the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA). It is through the Church that Catholics can explore and deepen their faith, connecting with a worldwide community of believers.
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Embrace ongoing conversion
Catholicism is not a static belief system, and Catholics believe that conversion is a lifelong process. This ongoing conversion is a spiritual journey that leads to new encounters with Christ and brings one closer to God.
The Catholic Church offers a community of believers who are all on their own unique spiritual paths, and this community is an essential aspect of the faith. Joining this community means becoming part of a worldwide church of over one billion people with different spiritualities, nationalities, customs, and ways of life, all united by shared beliefs.
The process of conversion is deeply personal and cannot be forced. It must come from within, from the depths of one's heart and soul. It requires considerable thought, prayer, and reflection. The Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) is a formal process of faith formation that incorporates prayer, sharing, community, and reflection, leading to full incorporation into the Body of Christ, the Church.
The quest for truth through Scripture, Church teachings, history, philosophy, and theology is an important aspect of embracing ongoing conversion. This search can reveal the strong biblical foundation of Catholic beliefs and strengthen one's desire to know more about the faith.
However, it's important to recognize that embracing Catholicism and thinking like a Catholic can be challenging in modern secular culture. Catholics are encouraged to limit their exposure to secular mentalities, especially through media like television, the internet, and movies, as these can influence one's mindset and make it harder to think like a Catholic. Instead, the focus should be on religious elements and the truths of the Catholic faith.
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Frequently asked questions
Thinking like a Catholic is a mindset, an attitude of the heart, a bundle of insights and presumptions and priorities that are derived from faith. It is a way of thinking that is learned and continually practised throughout one's life.
To begin thinking like a Catholic, one must first reduce their exposure to secular mentalities, especially through the media. This includes television, the internet, and movies. A Catholic mindset must focus primarily on religious elements and not compromise on truths.
Being a disciple means approaching every situation we face in life with the mind of Christ.
Conversion is an ongoing process that continues throughout a person's life. It is a spiritual adventure that believers have travelled for more than 2,000 years. It is a process that should be approached with considerable thought, prayer, and reflection.
