During a recent conversation with a Christian friend from another Ecclesial Community ["denomination"], he brought up a point that I have been thinking a bit about lately. He and I were discussing various differences in doctrines between the Catholic Church and his Community, and he hinted that his own extended family would not and perhaps could never understand these often subtle differences in doctrine and arguments about these differences and therefore would not leave the Community they were brought up in because “it’s all they have ever known”.
I agree. We each have been given talents by God, and some of us have more than others. I often read scholarly articles or theological dialogue, and the writing and ideas are over my head. I can just barely understand what they are saying, much less do I understand it so well that I can make a decision about whether one or the other is correct. An example would be some articles on Called to Communion about differences between Luther, Calvin, and St. Thomas Aquinas concerning justification or original sin or some other important area of the faith.
Others have deeper learning and wisdom and gifts in these areas and can understand them. I don’t doubt that Luther and Calvin (and of course Aquinas) were more intelligent than I am and much more learned in these matters.
Others also have even less understanding and intellectual gifts than I possess, and they might have a difficult time sorting through the arguments that I make, even though they appear clear to me.
The document from Vatican II that discusses some of these points is the Decree on Ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio. Here is an important passage from that document:
3. Even in the beginnings of this one and only Church of God there arose certain rifts,(19) which the Apostle strongly condemned.(20) But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions made their appearance and quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church-for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame. The children who are born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation, and the Catholic Church embraces upon them as brothers, with respect and affection. For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect.
Emphasis mine. Children born into these Ecclesial Communities are, for example, all or most Protestants that are living today: Baptists, Methodists, Lutherans, churches of Christ, Brethren, all the Pentecostals, etc. They are not culpable for the sin involved in the separation (schism) from the Church.
Luther himself, in one of his writings about baptism in his catechism, mentioned that lay people shouldn’t try to figure out all these deep questions about what baptism does or doesn’t do and should just leave it to wise and learned people like him to figure out. And I to a large degree agree with him! I can’t of my own scholarship (short of a special private revelation from God, which I have not received) figure out whether transubstantiation, sacramental union, or consubstantiation is true about the Eucharist. Jesus said “This is my body” and not to be trite, but it really does depend on what the definition of “is” is. Luther, Calvin, Zwingli all differed from one another about this important teaching, and all differed with the Church on it. Who is right? Can I solve it myself by reading everything they wrote? Perhaps, but probably not. Better to discern which of them, including the Catholic Church, have authority from God and then follow the one who does in this teaching as well.
The document continues:
The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church-whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church-do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ’s body,(21) and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.(22)
This exactly speaks to the question I blogged about yesterday about priestly celibacy being a barrier to unity. Priestly celibacy is a “discipline” spoken about in the first sentence above. And it can cause obstacles to unity which we must overcome, not necessarily by doing away with the discipline however.
How does the Catholic Church view these Communities and Churches?
Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries of the Catholic Church: the written word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ.
The brethren divided from us also use many liturgical actions of the Christian religion. These most certainly can truly engender a life of grace in ways that vary according to the condition of each Church or Community. These liturgical actions must be regarded as capable of giving access to the community of salvation.
It follows that the separated Churches(23) and Communities as such, though we believe them to be deficient in some respects, have been by no means deprived of significance and importance in the mystery of salvation. For the Spirit of Christ has not refrained from using them as means of salvation which derive their efficacy from the very fullness of grace and truth entrusted to the Church.
As you see, the Church views them with great respect and recognizes that the Holy Spirit, in spite of the disunity, works through them in God’s plan of salvation. However, we are still called to unity.
And that means that each of us, according to the gifts we have been given by God, must seek that unity that Christ called for. I believe that our Lord makes it possible for everyone to come to the fullness of the truth and to salvation. So even someone who is not that intelligent will be given grace that is perfect for him to see what he needs to see in this regard.
Still, it is up to each of us to make the concerted effort to explore, learn, study, pray, read, and dialogue with others to discover why and how we are separated in our Christian faith, and then, by God’s grace, strive to overcome those obstacles to unity through charitable disccussion and collaboration.
May Christ graciously bless you on Pentecost Sunday!
