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“You did it for me,” Jesus would say. “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine …” (Mt 25:40). And in another place, “This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). The real “Sign of the Cross” in the life of a Catholic Christian — more than an image traced with a hand blessing or a pendant on a neck chain — is the character of the relationships we engage in, which can only invite the observation, “Oh, they must be Catholic!”

Unless it is Ash Wednesday, and aside from the obvious, one-day-a-week spotting of people at a church for Mass, how may one identify a Catholic presence? Commitment to our faith, to the essential three components of being human, impels us to live not for ourselves alone but for others — those to whom we are sent by Gospel mandate to be the “light of the world” and the “salt of the earth.”  These components are found in decades of papal teachings from “Rerum Novarum” (Pope Leo XIII, 1891) through “Laudato Si’ ” (Pope Francis, 2015). They are, specifically, relationship with God, community and the land, and are the pillars of personal and societal stability, foundations for a world in which humanity can flourish in spiritual, social and ecological harmony. 

On a recent visit to Cuba, I met a padre who is pastor of four large parishes with some 10 or so churches. Liturgical and sacramental life is, of course, the primary focus of his ministry. Divine worship always comes first. For any healthy human society, as in personal life, God must be the center. Like any good priest, celebration of Mass, marriages and baptisms, penance and the Anointing of the Sick occupy a large part of his pastoral work. In his ministry of sanctification, it is clear he is Catholic. But there is much more.

With groups of volunteers, my padre friend feeds over 200 people a day at three separate locations. The breakdown is 60, 60 and 120, if I recall correctly. He and his parishioners perform this service not only for those who are Catholics, but for everyone because they are Catho­lic. Food and water are something all human beings need every day. In some places they are readily available from stores or even vending machines. “Man does not live by bread alone,” however. We are also social beings who live and thrive best in community. Isolation is quickly becoming a source of impoverishment with 66 percent of parents reporting little support from friends, family and community. This may well be why Mother Teresa called the United States the poorest country in the world!

On Bishop Scharfenberger's trip to Cuba, he found parishes that feed over 200 people a day. The fostering of community is one way to live your life as a Catholic every day. (Photos provided)

As important as divine worship is — prayer, both personal and communal, being an exercise in mutual (divine-human) love and justice — the fostering of family and community is the natural extension, the “living out” of the Gospel mission. Love of God and love of neighbor is what Jesus identifies as the two greatest commandments which sum up the whole law and the prophets. To overcome the overwhelming deterioration of traditional family structures (only 47 percent of households in our own country consist of married couples — down from 71 percent in 1970), action is needed to address increasing isolation and the resultant loss of basic domestic skills for keeping a family together. In Cuba I saw one response.

While I have neither knowledge or experience of day-to-day life in the Cuban parishes I visited, I learned from my padre friend how much his “family table” was doing not only to provide food and drink to people within his pastoral network, but building a lasting foundation for family and community stability. It can inspire our diocesan-wide goal to remake our parishes into family and community-building missions. We begin, of course, with placing ourselves in our worship space before our loving Father and, relying on the providential care of God and the intercession of Mary, the Immaculate Conception and our patroness. We then go forth from our hour at Mass to “be Catholic” the other 167 hours of the week! Many of our parish families are already doing this, for which I and others would say, “they must be Catholic” seeing their faith alive in a proactive way. It is what Catholics do, serving their neighbors, supporting family life and building community. 

How else are we Catholic? Although it has become much more challenging in recent decades, our mission of education remains an essential part of our goal of building and sustaining families and communities. When I speak of education, I am not just thinking of schools — Catholic or otherwise. Besides feeding his 200+ each day, my padre friend engages both children and adults in basic learning sessions. These include not only catechesis — instruction and formation in the love of God and the teachings of Jesus — but also basic human and domestic skills, like what used to be called “home economics.” This is a small part of tending to a third essential element of being human: ecological conversion and development, care of self, body and soul, care of the household and care of the land.

The depth and breadth of our connection with the land — the earth, “our common home” — cannot be confined to the secular, political and material arenas alone. Connection with the earth has deeper roots. It begins with care of our souls and bodies and extends to commitment to our neighbor and the care for our common home. Our Catholic faith is not something “up in the clouds” that views the realm of the spirit as disconnected or beyond our physical and social life. Everything that contributes to our full human development — faith, food, water, exercise, healthy families and communities, clean and safe environments, all are wrapped up together. 

What I experienced in Cuba was an example of the power of parish mission focused not only on prayer and worship but also family support, community building and environmental improvement. It gave me much hope of what can happen in parishes without the benefit of state or private funding. I was impressed by how much could be done with so little. Faith put into practice. Seeing it firsthand I think anyone would have to conclude, as I did, “they must be Catholic!” Without a doubt, we can do the same.

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