By Bob Sullivan
In the third segment of this series, Father Rolling reminded us of a great quote from G.K. Chesterton: “A Catholic is a person who has plucked up courage to face the incredible and inconceivable idea that something else may be wiser than he is.”
This reminds us that humility is an essential virtue in a Christian. We must remain humble toward God in prayer as well as in discipline, and in the way we think about the moral teachings of the Church. This is not an easy thing to do, especially for Americans. “We the people” pride ourselves in our independence and our ability to overcome roadblocks and difficulties in achieving goals we have set for ourselves. It is common to take personal credit for achievements due to one’s work ethic, one’s talent, or one’s intellect, often looking past the fact that all these things are gifts from God, as are the fruits of achievement. In many ways, trust in the teachings of the Catholic Church (or trust in anything for that matter) can run contrary to our concept of “the American way.”
This is particularly intense for Catholic political leaders. Our only Catholic president, John F. Kennedy, was confronted with the Catholic teaching of obedience to the teachings of the Church when he was running for office. On September 6, 1960, JFK addressed a large audience formed by the Southern Baptist Clergy in Houston, Texas. In his speech that day, which proved to be pivotal in his eventual election, he made some statements in the face of anti-Catholic rhetoric, in an effort to clear up some misperceptions about a Catholic’s loyalty to his or her nation and a Catholic’s obedience to the teachings of the Catholic Church. Here are a couple of excerpts from that speech:
“I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute, where no Catholic prelate would tell the president (should he be Catholic) how to act…”
And later:
“Whatever issue may come before me as president — on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject — I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me...”
The first quote is an excellent point, but easily misunderstood. A Catholic prelate cannot dictate how any person lives or acts. This was, and still is, news to many non-Catholics. However, the content of revealed truths which we receive from the Church give us the guidance and knowledge about how we were created to live and act. These truths play a large part in forming our conscience, thereby impacting our actions and words in every aspect of our life, whether we are the President of the United States or not.
The second quote comes near the end of JFK’s speech, and this is where a lot of us get tripped up with regard to our virtue of faith. This is where a Catholic can decide to distrust the teachings of the Church, thereby becoming a dissenting Catholic.
Q: Father Rolling, if a Catholic were to disagree with the Church on birth control, abortion, same-sex “marriage,” etc., they actually excommunicate themselves, but a bishop or the pope may also declare them excommunicated. What does this actually mean?
A. We concluded the last question by saying that someone who knowingly and voluntarily rejects the teachings of Christ and His Church could not describe themselves as faithful or devout.
This is not a case of: “I’m better than you.” Whenever the Church points out a person’s sins or errors or even excommunicates someone, it is always an act of love. Authentic love seeks what is truly good for the beloved. What is truly good in this case is that we would turn back to God when we stray far from God, but we cannot turn back to God unless someone informs us that we are, in fact, far from Him.
These are strong words for someone to hear, but as St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Ephesians (4:15), if we speak the ‘truth in love,’ patiently listening and inviting them into a profound, healing relationship with the three Persons of the Trinity – not using the teachings of the Church as a club with which to beat the “unfaithful” – the message will likely be well-received, and it has in fact been well-received by many.
Q. How about lapsed Catholics? How have “reversions” come about with regard to Catholics who have slipped away from the precepts (the bare minimums of the practice of the faith)?
A. I’m sure that many of my brother priests could tell numerous stories of “lapsed Catholics” who have “reverted” and I do not want to put anyone else on the spot, so I’ll limit my response to one lapsed Catholic who has reverted: myself.
During high school and my early years of college, I certainly was not living a life that could be described as pleasing to the Lord, yet the friendship of certain Catholics who were patient, gentle, and persistent, invited and challenged me to take another look at the Faith and eventually to embrace it and enter wholeheartedly into a personal relationship with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
Chesterton once wrote about the Catholic Church: “The moment men cease to pull against it they feel a tug towards it. The moment they cease to shout it down they begin to listen to it with pleasure. The moment they try to be fair to it they begin to be fond of it. But when that affection has passed a certain point it begins to take on the tragic and menacing grandeur of a great love affair.”
It was that “great love affair” which won me over, and I’ve never looked back.
