Things and Words You Didn't Know Were Catholic

 The Catholic faith was so deeply embedded in Western European culture early on that many elements of Catholic life are found throughout, often without our knowing or noticing. Here are a few examples:

 Many, many phrases in everyday use come from Scripture. Examples abound, but consider "the writing on the wall" from Daniel 5; "eat, drink, and be merry" (Ecclesiastes 8:15); or "a leopard cannot change its spots" (Jeremiah 13:23). The words of Scripture permeate our language. But there are many other instances.

 Take the animal kingdom. There is a bird called a "cardinal" because its red crest is similar to the biretta that cardinals wear. Likewise, the capuchin monkey acquired its moniker because it appeared to be wearing the brown hood of the Capuchin Franciscans.

 The phrase "When in Rome, do as the Romans do" has a saintly origin.

The advice St. Ambrose gave St. Augustine in regard to conformity to local custom. The authority of the see of Milan almost equalled that of Rome, and each Christian society had its particular rule for the observance of rites and customs. “My mother,” said St. Augustine, “having joined me at Milan, found that the church there did not fast on Saturdays, as at Rome, and was at a loss what to do. I consulted St. Ambrose of holy memory, who replied, ‘When I am at Rome, I fast on a Saturday: when I am at Milan I do not. Do the same. Follow the custom of the church where you are.’”—Epistle to Januarius, II. 18.

 Some examples are less flattering. "Pontificating," which generally means "spouting off without either knowledge or authority," derives from "pontiff," or bishop, which is most often used in reference to the bishop of Rome, the Roman Pontiff. So, "pontificating" is acting papal, but not meant in a nice way.

 Likewise, "hocus pocus," a phrase we use to denote magic, is a corruption of the words of consecration from the Eucharistic Prayers as rendered in Latin: Hoc est enim corpus meum. You see how "hoc est corpus" gets corrupted into "hocus pocus"? Some who misunderstand or lack the knowledge of sacramental theology see the Mass as some kind of magic trick, rather than a daily miracle of God.

We'll share more examples as they occur to us, but be on the lookout for others!