YOUR FAITH THEOLOGY 101
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The Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life. Yet many Catholics do not fully understand the richness of this most important sacrament. Consequently, Theology 101 this year is exploring both what it means to view the world through Catholic eyes, and the different facets of the Eucharist, in the hope of fostering a deeper appreciation of the Eucharist’s place in the lives of Catholics.
We are made for communion with God WHO ARE YOU? Think for a moment about how you would answer this most basic of questions. Perhaps you would begin with what you do for a living, with a list of your academic degrees or with a list of adjectives to describe your personality. Others stand ready to offer you answers to this question. For example, some will say you are nothing but matter, while others will say you are pure spirit. Yet, none of these answers truly captures who you are. Why?
The reality is that each of us is ultimately a mystery. We are not reducible to our epoch, job, social standing, education – or anything else. Who we really are transcends all these categories. What’s more, no one, including ourselves, can truly exhaust the knowledge of our full identity. Sacred Scripture explains that, “We are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed.” (1 Jn 3:2) In another passage we read, “At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” (1 Cor 13:12) These two passages (and there are several others) illustrate that questions of identity lay 12
FAITH Magazine | MARCH 2020 | WWW.FAITHMAG.COM
S. OLSON
THE GREATEST OF MYSTERIES
beyond our direct grasp. Our identity rests with God, in God. Now, this has serious implications for the multitude of “isms” that seek to reduce humanity to one thing or another. It also has serious implications for attempts to define Catholic identity. But here’s the thing: Catholicism never seeks to escape from such realities. It lives in the tension and mystery of life with a humility that the grasping ego disdains. Of course, all this means that we must know God if we have any hope of knowing ourselves. So who is this God who holds the key to our own identity?
DOUG CULP
is the CAO and secretary for pastoral life for the Diocese of Lexington, Ky. He holds an MA in theology from Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
THREE IN ONE St. John Paul II, in his apostolic exhortation Ecclesia in America, wrote the following: “Faced with a divided world which is in search of unity, we must proclaim with joy and firm faith that God is communion, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, unity in distinction, and that he calls all people to share in that same Trinitarian communion. We must proclaim that this communion is the magnificent plan of God the Father; that Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Lord, is the heart of this communion, and that the Holy Spirit works ceaselessly to create
