An Out of Body Experience

I read an article on the web recently that bothered me. It was not the actual content of the article, for I agreed with it wholeheartedly. Rather, it was the tone of the article. It was written by a Catholic author (a convert from Protestantism) and it was solidly in support of the traditional understanding of the Catholic Church and the world. Yet, having heard Protestant argumentation for so many years, the essential elements of that same "protesting" spirit were obvious to me. I doubt that the author really understood what he was doing in this regard. It was too subtle for many to notice, but like a quietly growing deadly mold in the walls of a home, it can still kill.

It appears that some Christians come into the Catholic church from outside and only bring their body. Their mind stays in their former ways. Becoming convinced of the truth of Catholic Church, does not mean that one is necessarily converted to her way of life at the same time. I even once met a Catholic priest whose theology was thoroughly Catholic, while his philosophy was thoroughly pagan. The manner in which he made judgments and decisions was entirely influenced by the modern world's "me first" frame of mind. Doubting that he got through seminary this way, I can only assume (trying to give the benefit of the doubt) that he was overpowered by the world that we live in and unknowingly surrendered to its philosophical perspectives.

In other words, there are people who are Catholic outwardly, but inwardly they are thinking like a Protestant (or some other non-catholic philosophy). "I want things my way" is acceptable in most churches today (at least quietly), but it is not the Catholic way of the faith. Some of you may ask, "who is he to describe the Catholic way of thinking?" while I am still not yet in full communion with the Catholic Church. Good question. I can only say that I have been thinking like a Catholic for about ten years now (without knowing it), and it took time for me to integrate the actual dogmas into my stubborn brain. Having been indoctrinated in Protestant thought, the Catholic manner of thinking stands out in stark contrast to those who wish to compare the two. Even some Protestants see this fact, and subsequently condemn the Catholic mindset as anathema.

What is the Catholic way of philosophy? It is a matter of one's frame of mind more than the actual doctrines that reside in one's mind. How you approach truth is not necessarily the same as someone else who arrived at the same truth from a different direction. For example, a Catholic friend of mine trusts that purgatory is an established fact. He has always believed this because he was taught it, he sees it in the historical writings of our Christian forefathers, and the Church says that it is so. I, on the other hand, had to come to it from the outside. I doubted that it was true precisely because the Catholic Church affirmed it. Only after cornering myself in the Scriptures (e.g. 1 Cor 3) did I see that it was undeniable. These are two different ways of thinking: the first says "I trust the Church and it has been confirmed", the second says "I trust myself and will trust the Church when I can see it for myself". My thoughts have since changed, but the change did not occur overnight.

Those who come into the Church with the "protesting" spirit (i.e. "I trust my own mind before anyone else") will find that it causes them to stumble at more than one place. Most Catholics will admit that theology is something that must come from the Magisterium and be handed down to the rest of us. Yet, there are also many who will say things about their spiritual leaders that sounds exactly like the common disrespect that rears its ugly head in non-catholic circles. This shows itself quite often, of late, when people make claims that amount to the equivalent of "I know better than God how to do things, and if He would just make the Pope listen to me then everything would be fine".

Just because you are in the Catholic Church (or, like me, about to be) does not mean that you are necessarily thinking like an obedient Catholic. There are many Catholics who, in disobedience to God, practice artificial contraception, so also there are many who are, in disobedience to God, not loving Him with their whole mind. To maintain ways of thinking that ignore Proverbs 3:5 is to maintain rebellion. We are all called to humble ourselves and "become as little children", and the warning is that we will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven if we fail to do so (Matt 18:3).

Little children, in Jesus' illustration, are not the modern rabble that lays on the ground and scream in rebellion at the parents; yet that is exactly the "little children" pattern that many Christians are giving to the world today (!). The example of little children that we are supposed to emulate is one where the children trust their parents to tell them the truth. The little children who believe that the Sacrament is the very body and blood of Jesus (because their parents told them so), just as much as they believe that the sky is blue (because their parents told them so). These are children who say "yessir" and "yesma'am", who want to please their parents, and who know that if their parents make a mistake then God will work things out in the end. Are these the children that we are exemplifying before the world? or is it the children of disobedience who decide for themselves?

Trusting your own thinking over that of the Church is one of the rotten fruits of the Enlightenment. It has always been around, but Enlightenment philosophers made it an established way of life (and thus gave it a place of respect). Jesus promised not to leave us as orphans, and then gave us the Spirit to work in the Church and her clergy. This is what allows us to know that we have the truth and not be left to ourselves (to give shame to our "Mother", Prov 29:15) to figure it out anew every generation. Let each of us seek to bring ourselves in submission to God and His Church fully; in heart, soul, mind and body.