One reason that I am Catholic is because Catholicism is a healthy corrective to the way that I would prefer to live and pray. Catholicism is a “we” religion. It is about community. Why do I consider Catholicism a healthy corrective? Here’s an example: Three times each week, I go to the gym for an aerobics class. When the alarm rings in the morning, I would much rather stay in bed, but I am convinced that, even though I don’t like it, exercise is more healthy than sitting in front of the computer all day, typing with one hand and eating with the other. And just as the gym is an antidote to my inactivity and overeating, Catholicism is a healthy corrective for my American individualism.

There are many wonderful things about living in America. But besides being the land of the free and the home of the brave, America is also the land of the “Lone Ranger.” Americans love our individual freedom and independence—not only in the way we live, but also in the way we worship. Studies show that Americans, regardless of their religious denomination, like to be independent in their beliefs. I decide what I want to believe and I decide how to pray. Identifying with an established denomination (Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, etc.) is not important for most Americans, who tend to move easily from one church to another. Conversion and salvation are understood as deeply personal, individual experiences. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found; was blind but now I see.” Yes, American religion is about “I” and “me” and “my.”

Our religion is a healthy corrective to the excess individualism of American religion because Catholic identity is essentially corrective. All of our official Catholic prayers are first-person plural: “we” and “us” and “our.” At Mass, we pray: “Father, all-powerful and ever-living God, we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord…Grant that we, who are nourished by his body and blood, may be filled with his Holy Spirit, and become one body, one spirit in Christ (Eucharistic Prayer III).”

Family and community are at the heart of our Catholic identity because the God we worship is a triune community of love: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The principal petition at every Eucharist is not for some individual gift of grace but for the gift of unity, the grace to become one body, one spirit in Christ. We pray that we become family, community, and Church. As Christ’s Body the Church, we together are to continue Christ’s mission to the world. It is not about what I want, but Christ, in his body the Church, wants. Together with the whole Church, we pray: Thy kingdom come, thy will be done.

Personally, I do not always find this community aspect of Catholicism comfortable. Often I would rather pray how I want. I get upset when community needs disturb the way I have always prayed. Why do I have to listen to the Bible proclaimed in Spanish just because the neighborhood is changing? I like to sing but I am not comfortable singing a hymn in Korean. But in a deeper place, I want to welcome and be considerate of my sisters and brothers because I know that what is most comfortable for me is not always what is best for my growth. It is more comfortable to stay in bed than to get up and exercise. I realize when I need a healthy corrective!