Do I Have to Believe That?

Do I have to believe that?

It’s a question we may have to contend with in our own lives and also one that comes up in RCIA sessions for those discerning whether they are ready to become Catholic.  During the first half of our sessions here at Saint Ambrose, we tackle the basic beliefs of the Catholic Church throughout a unit which the Symbolon program calls “Knowing the Faith.”  What’s nice about Symbolon is that it takes a catechism-based approach, and the first unit is centered on the Creed.

I heard a story once of a Catholic boy participating in Boy Scouts with his neighborhood troop, which was predominantly LDS.  During one scout meeting, he was asked to “bear his testimony.”  The boy thought about it, and then stood up and recited the Nicene Creed.  The Creed (Nicene or Apostle’s) is a condensed but nonetheless complete statement of our basic beliefs as Catholics.  If there are parts of the Creed one does not agree with or one has issues with, perhaps the Catholic faith is not for you.

This isn’t to say that religion itself is not for you.  Plenty of religious denominations share core beliefs with Catholicism but differ on some key points.  For instance, in 1054, the Eastern Orthodox Church split from the Roman Catholic Church over one word (in Latin) or phrase (in English) in the Creed regarding the Holy Spirit:  qui ex patre filioque procedit – who proceeds from the father and the son.  It may seem trivial to have such a big disagreement over one Latin word (or English phrase), but if it affects belief significantly enough, it may be justified.

After Christmas in RCIA, as we approach Easter, our focus shifts to Living the Faith.  How do we put into action the beliefs that we hold?  Throughout the RCIA process, it is important for those participating to engage in discernment – deciding what their beliefs are and if they match the beliefs of the Catholic Church.  It is important for them to do so, because this is a major life decision they are making.  We on the RCIA team emphasize to the participants that the Catholic Church has held beliefs for centuries, and we as Catholic faithful, hold these same beliefs today.  We do not change beliefs because it is trendy or culturally acceptable.  We may adapt to changing times, but we apply our beliefs to changing situations.  As the Serenity Prayer states:  Lord, grant me the Serenity to accept the things I cannot change, Courage to change the things I can, and Wisdom to know the difference.

Assumptions

Today, the Universal Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.  Paragraph 974 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) gives us a brief summary statement regarding this:

“The Most Blessed Virgin Mary, when the course of her earthly life was completed, was taken up body and soul into the glory of heaven, where she already shares in the glory of her Son’s Resurrection, anticipating the resurrection of all members of his Body.”

CCC paragraph 966, which the previous quote summarizes, refers to the “Dormition” of Mary, which is the name the Byzantine Liturgy, or Eastern Rite, uses for the Assumption.  The idea behind the “Dormition” of Mary, is that she “fell asleep” (i.e., she died) and then was taken up into heaven.  However, given our long separation from the actual event, it is impossible for us to know whether Mary actually died first, or if she was taken up into heaven in the same manner as Elijah was in 2 Kings 2:11.

So, why do we call today’s feast The Assumption?

Today, the word assumption has come to refer to the human tendency to believe something to be true or an event to have happened, regardless of whether it is actually true or has actually happened.  One is often warned not to assume anything.  When we use the term Assumption to describe today’s feast (again, note the difference between the word with a capital A and the word with a lowercase A), we are implying another, perhaps older definition of the act of assuming.  Through Mary’s Assumption, God took her to Himself in heaven, setting her apart, not only as the mother of Jesus, but as our mother as well.  In heaven, Mary is ideally placed to intercede for us to Jesus, her son.

As Catholics, we do not worship Mary, but we do pray for her intercession, as we might invoke any other saint’s intercession for a specific need.  But with Mary, we are especially blessed, because she hears all our needs and is able to take them directly to her son, Jesus, who is God.

So, today, we honor Mary, our mother, and her special position in heaven.  Don’t forget that today is a Holy Day of Obligation.  If you haven’t been to Mass yet, join us at 6:30 pm.

Fate vs. Destiny: God's Plan and the Catholic View of Predestination

Do you ever feel as if something was meant to happen a certain way in your life, and no matter what you did, things would turn out the same way?  Or, have you experienced something that seemed to be a remarkable coincidence or fortuitous event and thought, well that was lucky?  But what about free will?  Surely, if we had made a different choice things would have turned out differently.  Life isn’t like a Choose Your Own Adventure story, in which, whatever choice you make, it always leads to the same outcome.

One thing that sets the Catholic Church apart from certain other Christian denominations is our stance on predestination.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 600:  “To God, all moments of time are present in their immediacy.  When therefore He establishes His eternal plan of ‘predestination,’ He includes in it each person’s free response to His grace.”  Put simply, God’s time is not our time.  He exists outside of the human concept of time.  God, all-knowing as He is, knows what choices we will make.  That doesn’t mean we don’t have the free will to make those choices.  Because God knows our every move even before we make it, He has a plan for each of our lives.

St. Paul writes in his letter to the Ephesians, “In [Christ] we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of [God’s] will, so that we might exist for the praise of [God’s] glory, we who first hoped in Christ” (Ephesians 1:11-12).  In speaking of destiny, Paul means that God’s greatest desire is for all to know and love Him.  God does not desire that His creation should suffer.  He does not desire that anyone should go to Hell.  He wants us all to live in eternal happiness with Him.  The choices we make in our lives determine where we will go when we die.  Yes, God knows what those choices will be, but that does not make us any less free to make those choices.

One of my favorite shows of all time is the BBC series Merlin, which aired originally from 2008 to 2012.  (You can watch all five seasons of the show on Netflix.)  I’ve been a fan of Arthurian legend since high school, and I enjoyed this series’ take on the mythos.  During the final season of the show, there was an episode that dealt with Arthur’s fate to die at Mordred’s hand, and Merlin’s attempts to change Arthur’s fate.  In a conversation between Arthur and Merlin, Arthur says, “If it’s fated, it doesn’t matter what I do, it’ll still happen.”  Merlin responds, “There is a difference between fate and destiny,” to which Arthur replies, “You think too much.”  But Merlin is right.  Fate is influenced by choice.  You can change your fate.  Destiny, on the other hand, seems to be unchangeable.

What is your take on the difference between fate and destiny, God’s plan for your life, and the idea of predestination?

Praying for Those in Purgatory

As we begin the month of November, we celebrate the feasts of All Saints Day and All Souls Day.  On All Saints Day, we remember those who have gone before us who are in Heaven.  This includes those saints who are canonized (i.e., whose feasts and memorials we celebrate throughout the year), as well as other holy people who we know are in heaven.  On All Souls Day, we pray for those souls that are in Purgatory.  At St. Ambrose, we specifically remember those who have passed away in the last year at the Mass on November 2^nd.

The Catholic Church dedicates the entire month of November to praying for those souls that are in Purgatory.  But why do they need our prayers?  Purgatory is not so much a place as it is a process according to Catholic teaching.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1994) refers to it as a “cleansing fire” (CCC 1031).  In the summary part of this section of the Catechism, it states:

Those who die in God’s grace and friendship imperfectly purified, although they are assured of their eternal salvation, undergo a purification after death, so as to achieve the holiness necessary to enter the joy of God.  (CCC 1054)

Since this period of purification is a process, it makes sense that we would pray for those going through the process, just as we might pray for someone living who is experiencing a time of trial in his or her life.

It is comforting to know that we will not be condemned for our sins automatically.  As long as we are repentant for our actions, we can be saved from damnation in Hell.  During this month of November, of course pray for your loved ones who have died, but also, consider praying for the souls in Purgatory who have no one to pray for them.

2012, The Year of Faith

The text of Pope Benedict XVI's apostolic letter announcing the Year of Faith can be found
at the Vatican website:

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20111011_porta-fidei_en.html

Here's section 11 from that letter:

11. In order to arrive at a systematic knowledge of the content of the faith, all can find in theCatechism of the Catholic Church a precious and indispensable tool. It is one of the most important fruits of the Second Vatican Council. In the Apostolic Constitution Fidei Depositum, signed, not by accident, on the thirtieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Blessed John Paul II wrote: “this catechism will make a very important contribution to that work of renewing the whole life of the Church ... I declare it to be a valid and legitimate instrument for ecclesial communion and a sure norm for teaching the faith.”

It is in this sense that that the Year of Faith will have to see a concerted effort to rediscover and study the fundamental content of the faith that receives its systematic and organic synthesis in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here, in fact, we see the wealth of teaching that the Church has received, safeguarded and proposed in her two thousand years of history. From Sacred Scripture to the Fathers of the Church, from theological masters to the saints across the centuries, the Catechism provides a permanent record of the many ways in which the Church has meditated on the faith and made progress in doctrine so as to offer certitude to believers in their lives of faith.

In its very structure, the Catechism of the Catholic Church follows the development of the faith right up to the great themes of daily life. On page after page, we find that what is presented here is no theory, but an encounter with a Person who lives within the Church. The profession of faith is followed by an account of sacramental life, in which Christ is present, operative and continues to build his Church. Without the liturgy and the sacraments, the profession of faith would lack efficacy, because it would lack the grace which supports Christian witness. By the same criterion, the teaching of the Catechism on the moral life acquires its full meaning if placed in relationship with faith, liturgy and prayer.