There are moments in the life of the Catholic Church when we are called to return—not to something new, but to something essential. This is one of those moments.
In a world marked by division, polarization, and deep wounds, the Church must ask herself a fundamental question: Are we living what we profess? Not just in doctrine, but in practice. Not just in words, but in witness.
At the heart of this examination lies a teaching so familiar that it risks being overlooked, yet so profound that it holds the power to transform the Church from the inside out. It is what we know as the Golden Rule:
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”
(Matthew 7:12)
Spoken by Jesus, this is not a suggestion. It is not a spiritual ideal reserved for the exceptionally holy. It is a mandate. A command. A way of life.
And yet, we must be honest: the Church has not always lived it.
As a Black Catholic woman who was baptized into the Church as an infant and has remained by conviction, I have experienced both the beauty and the tension of Catholic life.
I have known the Church as a place of sacramental grace, sacred tradition, and deep spiritual nourishment. But I have also known it as a place where belonging has not always been equally extended. Where culture is sometimes tolerated rather than embraced. Where the fullness of one’s identity can feel like a complication rather than a gift.
This tension is not unique to me. It is the lived reality of many Black Catholics who love the Church deeply, yet often find themselves navigating spaces where they must adjust to belong.
The question, then, is not whether we know the Golden Rule. It is whether we are willing to live it fully. To live the Golden Rule is to do more than avoid harm. It is to actively create spaces of dignity, welcome, and love.
The Golden Rule is deeply embedded within Catholic social teaching, which calls us to uphold the dignity of every human person as created in the image and likeness of God. It reminds us that our faith is not only something we profess. It is something we practice in relationship with others.
To live this teaching is to refuse indifference. It is to reject neutrality in the face of injustice. It is to recognize that if one member of the Body of Christ suffers exclusion, the entire Body is wounded.
Within the Black Catholic tradition, this call is not abstract—it is embodied. It is heard in the rhythm of communal prayer. It is felt in the movement of worship. It is lived in a spirituality that refuses to separate joy from struggle, or praise from perseverance.
We are reminded through the witness of Servant of God Thea Bowman that we are called to bring our whole selves—our culture, our story, our voice—into the life of the Church. To deny this is to deny the fullness of what it means to be Catholic.
The Golden Rule demands more of us than comfort. It calls us into accountability. It asks whether our parishes are places of true belonging or simply places of attendance. It challenges us to examine whether our communities reflect the diversity of the Body of Christ. It invites us to move beyond intention and into transformation.
If we are to be truly Catholic—universal in the fullest sense—we must return to the Golden Rule not as a childhood lesson, but as a guiding principle for ecclesial life. In the end, it is about more than behavior. It is about belonging.
It is about creating a Church where every person can say not only, “I am Catholic,” but “I am home.” And that begins with something we already know—but must now choose to live:
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.”
Antoinette M. Reaves, D. Min., is a Catholic theologian, author, and educator whose work bridges Catholic Social Teaching and lived experience, particularly within the Black Catholic Community. With advanced degrees in theology, educational leadership, and the arts, she serves the Archdiocese of Philadelphia and speaks nationally on faith, justice and belonging.
