Every Catholic, young or old, must perform this duty

To be Catholic is more than just being a member of the Church established by Jesus Christ. Catholic is more than a noun, it is also a verb. 

Highlights

By Marshall Connolly (Catholic Online)
4/18/2022 (2 years ago)

Published in Living Faith

LOS ANGELES, CA (California Network) - A persistent problem in the Church is the number of people who claim to be Catholic, but limit their practice to attending Mass. This is a problem as ancient as it is common, but there are no excuses for it. We may evade the priest at the entrance to the church, and we may convince others we are too sick, tired, or otherwise exempt from our obligations as Catholics, but we cannot fool God. 

As Catholics, there are certain minimums we must perform. We must attend Mass every Sunday and holy day of obligation. And to be clear, Sundays are holy days of obligation. That last part just means there are certain days added to the Sunday requirement. We are also required to obey the Commandments, to go to Confession, receive Holy Communion, to marry in the Church, to Baptize our children, and to see them properly catechized and brought up as Christians. 

But there is a minimum that Catholics commonly overlook, which the the Great Commission. 

When Jesus sent forth the Apostles, He commanded: "Go therefore, make disciples of all nations..." (Matt 28:19)

This command is known as the Great Commission. What few understand, is this command applies to all Christians, not just the Apostles. 

As Catholics, we pride ourselves on not bashing others' faith traditions. You don't hear anti-Protestant rhetoric from the pulpits. We do not hand out tracts that criticize other faith traditions. We do not preach at family gatherings, sporting events, and other places where such behavior is generally frowned upon. While we should be non-confrontational, we must not be silent. 

We are called to preach the Gospel! The best way is to preach by how we live and treat others. How we make others feel matters a lot. We must also preach the truth at all times, even if it is unpopular. But the truth can be lovingly shared. It should not be used as a club to beat or threaten others into submission. Sure, sin is grave and some people need just such an experience to come to Jesus, but we should not take it upon ourselves to be the one to provide it. Nonetheless, we have an obligation to share the Gospel. It's a duty, not an option. 

So, if we don't want to preach at the family gathering, or offend others by telling a hard truth, then what can we do? How do we faithfully keep the mission assigned to us as Catholics? 

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If we cannot preach, we should at a minimum facilitate those who can. Every person, young and old, has their loaves and fishes. And in the right hands, those of the Holy Spirit, they are multiplied. 

Catholic Online School is one such place where the Holy Spirit is multiplying these loaves and fishes. This online educational institution is approaching one million enrollments, and provides a free, world-class, Catholic education for anyone, anywhere. And when you support Catholic Online School, you are doing what you can to fulfill the Great Commission by supporting those who are actively preaching and telling the truth. 

All the content on Catholic Online School is magisterial, meaning it conforms entirely to the Catechism of the Church.  

In addition to supporting the school, you can also help by sharing the school with our parish community, as well as family, friends, and neighbors. Just telling others they can get a free world-class Catholic education online is empowering, and it can make a genuine difference. 

Now, the Great Commission is yours. How will you respond to the call? Support Catholic Online School NOW, by contributing your loaves and fishes today!