Catholic what does it mean

The image it evokes is something like an architect's compass, which is used to make a circle around "one" central point.

Universal does bear a certain sense of inclusivity, for it gathers everything and everyone that is within the boundary of that line drawn around the circle. Yet, by virtue of the boundary or circle, it necessarily implies exclusion for whatever and whoever falls outside of the "universal" line. By contrast, katholikos comes from two Greek words: kata or kath meaning "through" or "throughout" and holos meaning "whole". This notion of "throughout-the-whole" carries no notion of boundary or lines drawn that demarcate those who are "in" and those who are "out.

The point, Ong suggests, is that the life, ministry and preaching of Jesus of Nazareth also supports this notion of katholikos -- "Catholic" -- rather than a more exclusive notion of the church as "universal. The Kingdom of God is said to be like the yeast that is added to flour and is found "throughout-the-whole" of the dough, building it up, not destroying or separating the flour, but becoming one-with, part-of, and mutually benefiting from and contributing to the life of bread.

Ong is quick to point out how non-colonial yeast is. In its own organic way, it inculturates and accepts the ingredients in which it finds itself. One can even take starter dough from one type of bread and add it to an entirely different type of flour and the yeast appropriates the form of its surrounding, and does not turn the new ingredients into a replica of itself.

Yeast, in its true catholicity and insofar as yeast can in its own way, does not seek conformity in this regard, but works with and celebrates the diversity of flour and ingredients it encounters.

It doesn't take much imagination to see how these two conceptualizations of "catholic" can inform and shape our understanding of what it means to be a Christian in the world. The "universal" approach, one that draws lines and is inclusive only of those within a certain proximity to the "one point" around which the boundary is marked, is represented by those who are constantly concerned about who is in and who is out.

Those who talk about the church as leaner, smaller, more "orthodox" are more likely to see boundaries between "the church" and "the world" as a good thing.

On the other hand, the "catholic" approach, one that recognizes the call for the enacting of the Reign of God "throughout-the-whole" of the world, sees the church as inclusive because it is to be found without separation from, but instead exists as part of the world and society. Accessed 14 Nov. More Definitions for catholic.

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Log in Sign Up. Save Word. Essential Meaning of catholic. He has catholic tastes in art and music. Full Definition of catholic Entry 1 of 2. Catholic noun. Definition of Catholic Entry 2 of 2. Examples of catholic in a Sentence Adjective She is a novelist who is catholic in her interests. There are 1. So just what is the Catholic Church and what does it mean to be Catholic?

There are four marks or characteristics of the Church, and we are reminded of them each time we pray the Nicene Creed at Mass. But being Catholic is more than attending Mass on Sundays. How do we do that? Each Catholic is called to full and active participation in the life of the Church and has the right and responsibility to:. Encountering Christ and being a witness to his love means we are called to live like Jesus and work for justice and peace in this world by living the 10 Commandments, the Beatitudes, the Corporal andSpiritual Works of Mercy, and the principles of Catholic Social Teaching.