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Sean, a recent convert to the faith
wrote:
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Hi, guys—
I was reading an article on Catholic moral teachings and found something I wish I was taught three years ago! Here is the statement I had a question about:
"A believer may not simply dismiss a Church teaching with which he or she disagrees; rather, the Catholic is called upon to study the teaching, pray for guidance and hopefully come to see the wisdom and power of the Church's teaching office, even if he or she does not immediately see the wisdom of the teaching itself. But in the end, other than in instances of dogmatically defined doctrine, the individual conscience holds sway."
If I understand this correctly, it is saying that we may never dismiss the teachings of what the Church teaches, but if we don't understand them 100%, we should pray, seek guidance, etc; as long as we try to grasp the teachings and are not denying them; then that is all that is required!
We may never understand certain teachings and may feel awkward about them, but as long as we don't out-right deny it and strive to seek the greater wisdom, then that is all that is required.
- Do I have a correct sense of how to approach a Church teaching I'm having difficulty accepting?
Blessings,
Shawn
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{
Do I have a correct sense of how to approach a Church teaching I'm having difficulty accepting? }
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Mike replied:
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Hi Sean!
Great to hear from you.
Yes. To my knowledge, you have the correct understanding.
Mike
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Eric replied:
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Hi, Sean —
Canon Law, which binds every Catholic (at least Roman Catholic, though I believe Eastern Catholics are similarly bound), has this to say:
Canon 750 §1. A person must believe with divine and Catholic faith all those things contained in the word of God, written or handed on, that is, in the one deposit of faith entrusted to the Church, and at the same time proposed as divinely revealed either by the solemn magisterium of the Church or by its ordinary and universal magisterium which is manifested by the common adherence of the Christian faithful under the leadership of the sacred magisterium; therefore all are bound to avoid any doctrines whatsoever contrary to them.
§2. Each and every thing which is proposed definitively by the magisterium of the Church concerning the doctrine of faith and morals, that is, each and every thing which is required to safeguard reverently and to expound faithfully the same deposit of faith, is also to be firmly embraced and retained; therefore, one who rejects those propositions which are to be held definitively is opposed to the doctrine of the Catholic Church.
Canon 753 Although the bishops who are in communion with the head and members of the college, whether individually or joined together in conferences of bishops or in particular councils, do not possess infallibility in teaching, they are authentic teachers and instructors of the faith for the Christian faithful entrusted to their care; the Christian faithful are bound to adhere with religious submission of mind to the authentic magisterium of their bishops.
Canon 754 All the Christian faithful are obliged to observe the constitutions and decrees which the legitimate authority of the Church issues in order to propose doctrine and to proscribe erroneous opinions, particularly those which the Roman Pontiff or the college of bishops puts forth.
It is crucial to understand the nature of "conscience". While it is true that conscience must be obeyed, conscience is not the same as your personal opinion. Conscience is the voice that compels you or forbids you to do something, often against your desires. It's the voice that tells you not to steal the candy bar or the voice that bugs you about apologizing for a rotten comment.
Conscience tells you what to do (or what not to do), not what to believe.
Your conscience doesn't tell you what is right and wrong in the sense of defining it; it applies what you know to a specific situation. Conscience does not speak in generalities; it speaks in specifics:
- Is this act I am about to do right or wrong?
Conscience is specific to a concrete situation, not an abstract belief.
- It tells you that failing to report that side income on your taxes is stealing; it doesn't tell you that women can be priests.
- Whether the pope is infallible is not a matter of conscience. Whether you obey the pope when he tells you to do something specific, you know in your heart is wrong, is a matter of conscience.
The pope cannot force you to do something against your conscience however. What he tells you to believe, you are bound to believe, because belief is a matter of assent of the will and sometimes faith.
Eric
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Sean replied:
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Hello Eric,
So if I'm striving to seek the greater wisdom of the Church and what she teaches, though I don't fully understand why she teaches certain moral teachings, if I don't deny them, but pray to seek the greater good in understanding them, is this sufficient?
Shawn
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Eric replied:
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Hi, Sean —
I think I could accept that. As long as "religious submission" is given to them, and this is an act of the will, more than it is an emotion, a feeling, or intellectual understanding.
Eric
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Sean replied:
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Well,
I wouldn't say complete submission, like with contraceptives. I'm for the use of them, and think it would lead to fewer abortions as well.
Nevertheless, I do see the Churches point to it, though I don't fully understand it.
Shawn
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Mike replied:
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Hi Shawn,
You said:
I'm for the use of them, and think it would lead to fewer abortions as well.
Contraceptive pills cause abortions and destroy the chemical make-up of a woman's body.
You may wish to pray over this issue.
Mike
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