Does that mean we all need to run out and join a renewal movement? No. Of course not. Most of us belong right where we are, in our parishes. But it does mean that we need to rediscover who we are by learning from their witness. Catholics are a missionary people. We need to be Catholics first. Everything else is secondary. We're not here to make a deal with the world. Were here to convert it.

It’s always easier to talk about reform when the target of reform is “out there,” rather than in here . The Church does need reform. She always needs reform, which means she needs scholars and liturgists and committed laypeople to help guide her, and pastors who know how to lead with courage and love. But what she needs more than anything else is holiness – holy priests and holy people who love Jesus Christ and love His Church more than they love their own ideas or even their own political parties.

Exactly like 800 years ago, the structures of the Church are so much easier to tinker with than our own stubborn heart, or that big, empty hole where our faith should be. Make no mistake. The root problem in the Church today isn't a crisis of organization or even of sinful behavior, as terrible as that can be. The root problem is an issue of faith -- and the lack of it. We can't give what we don't have. Too many of us claim to believe, but then we act like we don't. Too many very decent people pray the Nicene Creed every Sunday without really considering what it means for their lives. If we really mean it when we say, "I believe in one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church," then how can we ignore her when she teaches in the name of Jesus Christ on issues like the sanctity of human life?

Reforming the Church, renewing the Church, begins with our own repentance and conversion, our own submission to God's will, our own humility and willingness to serve -- and that’s the really hard work, which is why so little of it seems to get done.

Now let's turn to what living the faith means for our life in the world.

If we’re serious about our faith, then our whole lives should be formed and guided by our Catholic convictions. All of our actions and all of our choices should be rooted in our Catholic identity and in our relationship with God. That means our choices at work; at play; within our families; and also the choices we make in the exercise of our citizenship.

Citizenship is an act of social responsibility and political power in the presence of God. And when we step into the voting booth, we either help to build His civilization of love . . . or its opposite.

For Catholics, the job of good citizenship is a subset of Catholic social doctrine. If we want to know Catholic social doctrine in a nutshell, just read Mark 12:29-31. A scribe asks Jesus, “Which commandment is the first of all?” And Jesus answers:

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