By Steven Bernasconi, Catholic East Texas - To understand why a Catholic would be obligated to believe something, we must first consider what it means to be a Catholic. The word “catholic” is a combination of Greek words κατά (about) and ὅλος (whole), which the Catechism of the Catholic Church translates to “according to the totality” or “in keeping with the whole,” (CCC, 830) Understood in this sense, being a Catholic means we can’t take only the bits and pieces we like, as if one were at a buffet. We either take or leave everything.