In The Catholic Imagination, Andrew Greeley writes that “Catholics live in an enchanted world: a world of statues and holy water, stained glass and votive candles, saints and religious medals, rosary beads and holy pictures” and that “these Catholic paraphernalia are merely hints of a deeper and more pervasive religious sensibility that inclines Catholics to see the Holy lurking in creation.” As we swam in the clear waters of Croatia, listened to opera in Vienna, and admired soaring cathedrals, we got a glimpse of God working to reveal himself to us through His creation and the work of human hands. We were exposed to countries where Catholicism is the dominant faith, where baroque parish churches and Epiphany blessings over doors are as ubiquitous as ward houses and temple necklaces are in Utah. We were immersed in cities where everything from greetings to stores being closed on Sundays points back to the Christian basis of European culture.

As beautiful as it was to see the tangible signs of the Church’s art and customs, we were also exposed to the ugly reality that much of the Church in Europe is dying. Few young people attend Church - many of the local masses that we attended were exclusively attended by the elderly, without a family or young adult in sight. It seemed that the Church, rather than being the conduit of God’s grace, has ossified into a collection of pretty art and quaint cultural practices. Many of the beautiful churches that we admired were more popular for their classical music concerts than for the abiding presence of Christ in the tabernacle. The religious art that peppered buildings and squares are, for many people, better tourist attractions than objects of devotion.

We learned that cultural Catholicism is deadly and that pretty music, art, and architecture do not make a living church. These beautiful works are worthy parts of our Catholic identity, but they cannot be the be all and end all of our faith.

With that said, we also learned that these same tangible signs of the Church’s art and customs can be truly sacramental when read with the eyes of faith. Statues of saints in churches remind us of the communion of saints, our brothers and sisters in the mystical body. Gold fixtures and vaulted ceilings remind us of the transcendence of heaven. Crucifixes remind us of the sacrifice of Christ. Stately altars remind us of the centrality of the sacrifice of the mass. Flickering red candles remind us that Christ is truly present in every Catholic church, reserved in the tabernacle.

In “The Catholic Imagination is Ecclesial (Or It’s Not Really Catholic),” Timothy O’Malley writes that:

“In my own graduate studies, the term ‘Catholic imagination’ was often defined by the transformation of theological doctrines into epistemic or literary principles:

The Catholic imagination is incarnational, meaning that it is concerned with embodiment.
The Catholic imagination is sacramental, meaning that it perceives the presence of God as permeating the created order.
The Catholic imagination is Paschal, meaning that it sees the possibility of new life coming out of death.
The Catholic imagination is dramatic, meaning that it recognizes that human beings have free will (and may choose both for and against God or the good).

Such an approach, although attractive, is fundamentally inadequate. It transforms the drama of salvation into principles for salvation. It reduces history to philosophy.

If the Catholic imagination relates to embodiment, it does so primarily because the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.
If the Catholic imagination is sacramental, it is because human beings have fallen away from God and need a sacramental economy to return back to God as mediated through the Church.
If the Catholic imagination is Paschal, it is primarily because Jesus Christ is the Bridegroom who reveals to men and women the depths of divine love, the shocking claim that the light shines into the darkness (and the darkness shall not overcome it).
If the Catholic imagination is dramatic, it is because God has become involved in human history first through creation, then in the covenant with Israel, then in the life, death, resurrection of the Beloved Son, and lastly in the Spirit infusing Christ’s Body, the Church.”

As we traveled through Europe, we learned that our Catholic faith cannot be reduced to quaint stories, pretty art, and old-fashioned customs. Neither can it be reduced to nebulous statements about God being expressed in all of creation (even though He is). Rather, our Catholic faith has to be lived out through participation in the sacraments, practiced in our daily struggle against sin, and supported by a faithful community of friends and family.

This trip gave us an opportunity to live what we learned. We attended mass daily and prayed morning and evening prayer. Some of us were reconciled through the sacrament of confession. All of us made new friends and renewed our commitment to growing in our faith. We learned that, even when we are surrounded by the visible signs of Catholicism, we cannot take our faith for granted. Perhaps most importantly, we learned that our Catholic imagination has to be formed by the sacraments administered by the Church in order for us to see the world as a sacramental sign of God’s love and grace. I pray that all of us who went on this trip can continue to see the world with a Catholic imagination and an understanding of the centrality of Christ and His Church.