“I urge you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose.” (1 Corinthians 1:10)
The name “Catholic” which means universal connotes that there is one set of beliefs that we hold in common. In contrast, the broader term of “Christian” can apply to more than 23,000 Protestant denominations of the world each holding differing doctrines. Christ’s Church is one just as He is one; one Lord, one faith, one baptism. And I would further elaborate that this necessitates a pope and one Church teaching. (magisterium) It would be impossible for the Church to remain one without these elements. We do not define for ourselves what it means to be Catholic. However, that doesn’t mean that we should assent to Church teachings in a purely legalistic manner. We should adhere to the tenets of our faith out of love. Love of God, love of His Church, love for one another. Consequently, we cannot claim to have love for God and disrespect him at the same time. Disrespect for God seems to abound in our society today. The evidence of this immorality is all around us. All one needs to do is look at the current fashions, TV shows, and advertisements that we are bombarded with every day.
What is missing today is a holy fear of God. Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.(Proverbs 9:10) The Church teaches that fear of God is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. This should not be overlooked because it coincides with respect for God. Is there any doubt that we have lost our respect for God? Just look at all the atrocities committed in the name of scientific advancement such as: human cloning, embryonic stem cell research, creation of human/animal hybrid life forms. And that is the short list! Each one of these atrocities mentioned are deemed by the Catholic to be intrinsically evil. This is what happens when intellect and pride stand in the way of submitting to God’s laws and to the authority of His Church which is commissioned to make them known to us into perpetuity. Too often we take a relativistic approach to morality by tolorating evil so a purported good may come out of it.
Those that recognize that God exists realize the need to have a relationship with Him. But so often we want this relationship on our own terms. We believe in God modeled after our own personal ideologies. This way of thinking creates God into our image and likeness instead of the other way around. It also separates God from His Church.
As Catholics at Easter Vigil Mass we make a profession of faith: “I believe all the teachings of the Catholic Church are revealed by God and He cannot deceive us nor can He be deceived.” This is a profound statement that touches the very core of what it means to be Catholic. Granted, as society evolves we are bound to alter our way of thinking about certain things. However, we are never to do this at the expense of immutable truth because God Himself is immutable truth. Today we see long held moral truths being replaced by moral relativism. In all audacity, society calls this “enlightenment”. Listen to the words of Jesus as He explains how important the truth is: “And you shall know the truth: and the truth shall make you free.” (John: 8:32) So, we need the truth in order to be free! We all want to be free but this freedom must be properly understood. True freedom is not the ability to do what you want to do - that is the definition of license. Freedom is when we have the ability to follow God’s will and His will is always for our good for God cannot do evil. We know that Jesus came here on earth to teach the truth. He commanded His apostles to go out into the world to teach it and they did, with authority. Then they in turn commissioned others through the laying on of hands. This is the very definition of apostolic succession and the way in which the truth is available to us today. It is one of the marks that identifies Christ’s Church. To believe that the truth taught by the apostles is somewhat lost today is to say that Jesus failed in his mission and remember, Jesus is God!
Here is what Pope John Paul II had to say on this subject addressing the Bishops in Los Angeles (1987):
"It is sometimes reported that a large number of Catholics today do not adhere to the teaching of the Catholic Church on a number of questions, notably sexual and conjugal morality, divorce and remarriage. Some are reported as not accepting the clear position on abortion. It has to be noted that there is a tendency on the part of some Catholics to be selective in their adherence to the Church's moral teaching. It is sometimes claimed that dissent from the magisterium is totally compatible with being a "good Catholic," and poses no obstacle to the reception of the Sacraments. This is a grave error that challenges the teaching of the Bishops in the United States and elsewhere."
Now there are some people that may disagree. They say the Church is dynamic and will eventually change some of its teachings in the future. So if one were to dissent now, he is merely a “progressive thinker”. While these “progressive thinkers” may think they are “enlightened” they are actually in darkness. The ordinary teaching of the Church in matters of faith and morals as they have always been taught throughout history is called the “ordinary magisterium” and is infallible and therefore can never change. This immutability in teaching is one of the key attributes that provide proof that the Catholic Church today is the very Church founded by Christ. This is not to say that certain disciplines within the Church cannot change, such as abstaining from meat on Fridays. However, doctrines containing absolute truth can never change. Our understanding of the truth can only be expounded upon, never contradicted. Because God Himself is immutable so are His teachings. As time goes by The Church can come to a greater understanding in doctrines by the guidance of The Holy Spirit. This is not the same thing as changing the teachings as some would suggest. Fr. Gordon Knight C.S.SP. covered this topic when he wrote about “The narrow mindedness of the Church” in his excellent book; Rational Theology:
“This inflexibility of the Church may seem narrow and intolerant, but only to those who do not stop to reflect that Christ promised that the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, would guide His Church forever. This guidance is precisely what will cause his Church to forever adhere inflexibly to what it has always taught to be the true doctrine of Christ. Its very inflexibility is our security that what it teaches today is exactly what it taught in all past ages. What it teaches today is what it taught when the Protestants separated from it. It is what it taught when the Arians separated from it. It is what it taught when the Marcionites separated from it. It is what it taught before anyone separated from it. It is what it taught in the very beginning. How else could God expect his Church to act? There is no such thing as progress in religion. Change is only progress when it is in the right direction. If one already has the truth change is not progress. It is departure from-the truth. The Church began with the true version of religion. Christ Himself taught it. The Church has been teaching it ever since. Departure from its teaching constitutes departure from the truth. It constitutes a false version of religion. Christ Himself has told us what those things are that God expects of us. His version cannot be improved upon.
Those who think that the teaching of the Church should be modernized and brought "up to date" should reflect that God is still God, that human beings are still merely His creatures, and that religion is what God expects human beings to know. Circumstances may have changed but God has not. He still expects human beings to do what He tells them, and not merely to do it under certain circumstances. Those who sincerely intend to do whatever God expects of them do not complain that the Church still teaches what Christ sent it to teach. On the contrary they are glad it does. It makes it possible for them to be sure they are on the right road.”
As we know, Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church “the fullness of grace and truth.” (Catechism 819) The Catholic Church is the Bride of Christ and our priests being married to the Church have an awesome responsibility to Christ Himself to uphold His teachings and to hold them in its fullness without omission. For the teachings of the Church are Christ’s teachings. Jesus said to his apostles “He that heareth you heareth me: and he that despiseth you despiseth me: and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me.” (Lk: 10:16) Catholics that reject the Church’s teaching are essentially rejecting Christ! Our faith should be grounded in the Catholic Church, which we know is “the pillar and guardian of truth.” (1 Tm:3:15)
Jesus had many teachings that were hard. Even Peter was not always sure what he meant, but responded, "Where shall we go? You have the words of eternal life." That should be our response when find any teachings in the Catechism or the pope's words which are hard to understand or live by. Reverence for the law flows out of our reverence for God since it is He that gives us the law. What we may interpret to be restrictive is actually liberating. Once we look deeper into those more difficult teachings we will find an underlying beauty in the reasons we hold such beliefs. The arguments that present Catholicism as irrational are washed away when one confronts the serious rationality that grounds them. Christ came into the world so that we may have life and have it more abundantly. These teachings reveal God's plan for us and better prepare us for heaven. God, who created us, knows us better than anybody and only wants what is good for us. By following the teachings of His Church out of our love for God, we will be more fulfilled and have spirituality and life.
