So if this is culture, then what is the Catholic culture? And what is the duty as a Catholic when it comes to the other cultures that make us up? Can we be more than just Catholic in our identity? The document Gaudium et Spes explores our duties and obligations. The Church is able to be "[f]aithful to her own tradition and at the same time conscious of her universal mission, [so] she can enter into communion with the various civilizations, to their enrichment and the enrichment of the Church herself (Gaudium et Spes 58). It is through our embrace of culture that "[m]an comes to a true and full humanity" (Gaudium et Spes 53). But all of us have different ways of growing up and being taught. Is it okay to have these different cultures? Gaudium et Spes says:
"Different styles of life and multiple scales of values arise from the diverse manner of using things, of laboring, of expressing oneself, of practicing religion, of forming customs, of establishing laws and juridic institutions, of cultivating the sciences, the arts and beauty" (Gaudium et Spes 53).
So different cultures are bound to arise. But with so many different cultures, how are we to live in harmony and how is the "expansion of a new culture to be fostered without losing a living fidelity to the heritage of tradition" (Gaudium et Spes 56)? Communication and respect for each and every culture is what we are to do. We have to keep asking questions, learning about other cultures, and opening ourselves up to the world.
Along with that learning of different cultures comes the continuation in learning about a higher power. There is a danger in that "confiding too much in the discoveries of today, [we] may think that [we are] sufficient unto [ourselves] and no longer seek the higher things" (Gaudium et Spes 57). It is our duty to learn not just these different cultures of life, but also the culture of the divine and the new world.
Culture is something that is quite complicated and often difficult to understand. Indeed, it seems to be something so integral and imbued within the person, that is hard to be accepting of different and new cultures. But as both you and Gaudium et Spes states, it is our duty as fellow humans to try to learn the cultures of others.
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