For much of recent history, Catholicism has been associated with specific cultures. If you grew up Polish, Filipino, Italian, Brazilian, or Hispanic, you were most likely Catholic because it came with the culture. Growing up, before I really got to know my faith, if you asked me why I was Catholic, I probably would have said, “Because I am Mexican.” It did not go deeper than that.

In a global society with access to so many philosophies, religions, and ways of life, and Catholicism is seen as just another option amongst many, people today will be Christian, and more specifically Catholic, only if they are truly convinced that the Church has something unique to offer them, only if there is a significant difference in the way we live our lives in comparison to the rest of the world.

In my life I got to the point where being Catholic simply because I was Mexican was no longer satisfactory. So what makes someone a Christian and more specifically a Catholic?

Before beautiful churches, before stained glass windows, before all the devotions to the saints, the Rosary, our Lady of Guadalupe, the Pope in Rome, before all these things that people associate with being Catholic today, how did you identify a Christian?

That is what the readings are giving us today: the Christian identity that began to develop in the very early Church. Immediately everyone noticed there was something different about them, and this placed them in tension with the rest of the culture.

We see three key identifiers of a Christian in the warning of Jesus in the gospels. He says “They will hand you over to the synagogues; they will lead you before kings and governors because of my name. You will even be handed over by parents, friends, and relatives.”

1. First change was allegiance to Christ as the divine authority. The emperor was thought of as being divinely elected, so when Christians stopped paying homage to them because it went against, it we felt. Out of fear of losing their power, emperors began to persecute. A Christian was identified by their willingness to submit only the divine authority of Christ.
2. Second was a change in sacrificial rituals. Everyone offered sacrifices to many different gods, there were many altars through Rome. Christians understood that Jesus had become the perfect and only sacrifice and so they stopped offering sacrifices to other Gods and instead began to meet in homes to participate in the sacrifice of Christ. It was so different that they even accused them of cannibalism when they heard they were consuming the body and blood of Christ. A Christian was identified by their participation in this final sacrifice, the Eucharist.
3. Third, there was a change in their relationship with the temple. Everyone knew the Jewish Temple was the place where God dwells. When Jewish converts to Christianity realized they had to stop going to the temple, and that Jesus had established a new form of temple and where two or three where gathered in his name now there was the presence of God, this created a great deal of controversy. A Christian was identified by the claim to the a temple of the Holy Spirit through their gathering.
4. Fourth, they were no longer afraid of death. Jesus warns them about war, famine, insurrection, human powers competing against each other. Jesus never promises them that they will not suffer. But immediately He adds, “Do not be terrified.” Amidst all the difficulties in life, a Christian is someone whose decisions are rooted in confidence in God, not out of fear. This confidence created a Christian identity that was not afraid of death. They were so distinctive in their lack of fear of death that many became martyrs.

These changes where evident, changes that made others turn around and notice the Christian faith, either to try to destroy it, or, to realize: these people are willing to change their lifestyle completely for this gospel message, even die for it without fear… maybe there is something about it that I need! And indeed, it led to many conversions in the first century.

 

St. Paul gives us a fifth key identifiers of a Christian community that began to emerge in the early Church.

Paul addresses this in the Church of Thessalonica. There were people coming to the community only for the free food. This happened often enough that Paul had to address it twice in two different communities. When he wrote to the Corinthians, he said, “The Christian life is not about taking advantage of others. The Christian life is about giving.”

He is not saying “do not help the poor.” Paul is realistic about people’s needs, and the Christian community knew they had the duty to help the poor both within outside the Christian community. Bug, he wanted them to understand that Christian identity is also about contributing to the community. He understands the gospel is not just about feeding the poor, but about freeing them from societal pressures and unjust systems that keep them poor. He tells those struggling, “The community sustains you. It helps you find work, but you must also contribute.” Striving to be excellent and generous was something that set Christians apart.

So another key element of being a Christian is the care and support we give to the poor by those Christians who have means, and the willingness to overcome their poverty by those Christians struggling to make ends meet.

Why are you a Catholic? Not because you were born into a Catholic home, or a Catholic culture. At its essence, we are Catholics because it is how we participate in the life of God. I am a Catholic because I understand that only in Jesus can I find my proper alignment so that I do not submit to false Gods. I am a Catholic because the Eucharist sustains me. I am a Catholic because I am the body of Christ. I am a Catholic because I know that no matter what challenges I might face, God is with me, and I am not afraid. I am a Catholic because Jesus came to set me free, so that I might have life in abundance, and so I help those who are poor, and strive to have a descent life myself and be of service to others even within the limitations of my resources.

This is the identity we renew today to carry us forward in the coming holidays. Thanksgiving and Christmas give us an opportunity to make our faith evident.

Our Catholic identity recognizes that thanksgiving is intimately connected to the Eucharist. So we come to Mass, and then we pray as a family around the dinner table, taking turns to express what we are thankful for. Then we enjoy football and the sales, but in a way that avoids greed.

We know that holidays can heighten family tensions. Our Catholic identity calls us to show love and mercy in how we relate to family during these times.

Our Catholic identity also means we invite friends and family to come to church for Christmas, but that invitation will be convincing only if people can see that coming to Church truly makes a difference in your life.

Jesus says, “They will hand you over to synagogues and prisons. They will lead you before kings and governors because of my name, and this will lead to your giving testimony. Do not prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself will give you wisdom that your adversaries cannot resist or refute.”

On this last Sunday of Ordinary Time, we ask the Lord for courage to show ourselves clearly as followers of our Lord Jesus Christ.