Having An Arrogant Faith
Recently I have heard from both Catholics and non-Catholics alike who worry that making the claim that what one believes is true is an arrogant position to take since it sometimes implies that those with conflicting beliefs may be incorrect. Perhaps they are right, but I am not sure there is another alternative when it comes to matters of life and death.
A comment on a recent blogpost for instance states,
This post saddened me — one of a number that I’ve come across recently that proclaim a certain bent toward Catholic chauvinism vis-a-vis those of us who are Protestant. I know that they must come as a response to stinging misunderstandings uttered by Protestants, but still.
Perhaps I should first note that the blogpost in question was written in response to a certain group of Christians who because they do not believe Catholics are Christians make it their aim to evangelize Catholics by showing us the error of our ways. Almost all of this is done with an ignorance of what Catholics actually believe. It is an unfortunate reality that many people where I live have learned about the Catholic faith from Jack Chick, rather than from Catholics themselves. My own belief is that the majority of these people are well intentioned, but poorly informed. My own belief also is that many Catholics have difficulty in knowing how to respond when approached by someone who is engaged not in dialogue, but rather in proselytism. Because of these two beliefs, I often write posts geared towards giving Catholics some tools to use when they encounter common questions about our faith.
But I think it is fair to take a look at the issue of arrogance, or chauvinism as it was described in the comment above. Arrogance is defined by Merriam-Webster as,
- An attitude of superiority manifested in an overbearing manner or in presumptuous claims or assumptions.
Merriam-Webster defines chauvinism along similar lines as,
- excessive or blind patriotism
- undue partiality or attachment to a group or place to which one belongs or has belonged
It would seem fair to say that most members of the Catholic clergy, or any other clergy for that matter, will express partiality to their own group’s theology or system of belief. The issue being expressed by those concerned, however, is not simply about an expression of belief, but rather an attitude of superiority that is being communicated. My hope in writing this blog is never to imply that Catholics are superior to other people, but it is my intent from time to time to illustrate the real differences between Catholicism and other faith traditions. One of my greatest prayers is for Christian unity. It is scandalous to me that we continue to be divided as Christians, worshipping separately each Sunday and in doing so giving witness to division.
So what can we do to begin to make Christian unity a reality? I, for one, should probably make less blanket statements here about Protestants and stick to commenting on my own faith. With that in mind, perhaps a good place to begin is with a few things suggested in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.
Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time. Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: “That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that the world may know that you have sent me.” The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit.
Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call:
- a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such renewal is the driving-force of the movement toward unity;
- conversion of heart as the faithful “try to live holier lives according to the Gospel”; for it is the unfaithfulness of the members to Christ’s gift which causes divisions;
- prayer in common, because “change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name ‘spiritual ecumenism;”‘
- fraternal knowledge of each other;
- ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests;
- dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities;
- collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind. ”Human service” is the idiomatic phrase.
Concern for achieving unity “involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike.” But we must realize “that this holy objective – the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ – transcends human powers and gifts.” That is why we place all our hope “in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit. (CCC 820-822)
These concrete and positive actions are an excellent place to begin. It is hard to see anything but good coming from constant renewal and conversion, from making a place for shared prayer (both public and private), from continued efforts to know one another better, from collaboration in service and most of all in placing our faith in God who has the power to bring us back together as the one Body of Christ. May we throw away our arrogance in favor of the humility required to pray for one another, to listen to one another, but most of all to trust in our Lord who prayed that we may be one.
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