The Catholic Family – Members Content
In a very real way for Catholics and Christians, ‘church’ is a faith family. Like any family we may like some relatives more than others, but we will still dance at their weddings and cry at their funerals. It is not about being right or better. Like a family, it is simply a special belonging relationship. Catholics even see the saints in heaven as part of the ‘family’.
It is normal to want the one that you love most in the world to love everyone that you love and to accept not only your blood family but your faith family; yet, most people are very reluctant to acknowledge any secret desire to share their faith.
One Body, One Blood
For Catholics, receiving Communion is more than just a symbolic ritual. Catholics believe that the bread and wine become the living body and blood of Jesus – that Jesus’ living spirit is present in the Communion bread and wine.
When we consume the bread and wine, (now the Body and Blood of Christ), we literally become ‘one flesh’ with Jesus. His body and blood is absorbed into our own bodies and we become ‘the Body of Christ’ – bonded to each other and the whole Church. The communion we consume, becomes the communion we are with Jesus and his Church.
Receiving Communion is a profound act of intimacy. The words of Jesus: “Take, this is my body given for you. This is my blood, poured out for you”, recalls Jesus’ total gift of self on the Cross. It is the same message that husband and wife give when they make love: “Take, this is my body, I give it to you. This is my life, I surrender it to you”. In this way, marital sex and the Mass reveal the same profound mystery – God’s desire to be in intimate communion with us.
An Invitation
Most Catholics are afraid to be seen as trying to convert their fiancé and as a result are often reluctant to share their own faith. On the other hand, the fiancé who is marrying a Catholic can naturally feel defensive and protective of his or her own separate faith identity.
In either case, it is antithetical to the desire for intimacy to be silent about something so special to us or to have a part of ourselves that we think we cannot share with the person we love most. It is an area we must explore if we are serious about our intimacy.
In the name of the Church, we extend a warm invitation to those of you who are not Catholic, or who are but have lost connection with their Catholic faith, to belong to our faith family to whatever extent you are comfortable. We will be richer for your presence.
Stories of the Heart
I love my wife deeply and appreciate how tolerant she has been of my desire to baptise our children. Yet there is an ache in my heart every time I take the kids up to Mass on Sundays. I long to be able to share the warmth of the community with her, to be able to share my faith fully with her. Sometimes the longing is so painful it’s easier to stay at home. I keep praying that some day we will be able to share ourselves fully with no barriers and nothing between us.
When we married, I didn’t think that being of different Christian denominations would make any difference. My wife was Catholic and I was happy to let her baptise the children and take them to Sunday Mass. I was a Christian, but I didn’t go to Church. She never put pressure on me but when we shared the SmartLoving experience together, I became deeply aware of how much more intimacy would be available to us if we were to share our faith life together. Truthfully, I didn’t think becoming a Catholic would be that big a deal. I’ve been amazed at how close it has brought us. The day I made my first communion with our eight year old son was the most amazing experience. All our family and friends came to celebrate. We now look forward to Sunday as the day we worship together as a complete family.
