By FR. KEVIN M. CUSICK
Is celebrating Lutheranism “solemn nonsense”? If celebrating anything good or true in Martin Luther’s Protestant rebellion is the same as affirming truths that always existed within the Catholic faith, then perhaps it is.
The Catholic Church has always claimed the charism, or Magisterium, of teaching authority in matters of faith and morals, that is, of what is necessary for salvation. If we are celebrating something in the beliefs of separated brethren that is not necessary for salvation, then we are responsible for scandal. So, the question remains: Why cause confusion by celebrating truths shared with Protestants if they could remain in the truth and become Catholic? Sounds like “solemn nonsense” that the Pope would do better to condemn.
The question is a fair one to ask given both the Holy Father’s famous attack upon proselytization, using the same phrase and his glowing comments about the Protestant rebellion which attacked not only the faith but also about the Church which he represents as Successor of Peter. To be fair, Pope Francis does refer to evangelization.
But to accuse Catholics zealous for converting others as lacking in charity is not helpful. No matter their motives, whether pure or not, evangelizers always engage in charitable activity by engaging in dialogue to draw others to Christ and His Church for the sake of their eternal salvation. Our faith has always taught that this is the highest form of charity.
Jimmy Akin covered the story about Pope Francis and his comments on proselytism in a column on the catholic.com blog dated October 21, 2013. In it he tries to reconcile Pope Francis’ labeling of proselytization as “solemn nonsense” with the following quotation from Pope Benedict:
“Charity, furthermore, cannot be used as a means of engaging in what is nowadays considered proselytism. Love is free; it is not practiced as a way of achieving other ends. But this does not mean that charity must somehow leave God and Christ aside [Deus Caritas Est, n. 31].”
It is true that persons are not mere numbers, to be gained for the Church as if one is only adding arrows to their quiver. The personal interaction necessary for converting remains that — an encounter with a person, whether one uses the now-condemned term proselytizing or not.
The Holy Father has recently been participating in events marking and leading up to the 500th anniversary for Martin Luther next year. One of these has been to sponsor a prayer written and to be used by both the Catholic and Lutheran churches to mark the occasion. This among other moves has aroused the ire of Rorate Caeli and other traditional Catholics.
A story in the Guardian in mid-January covered the reactions of defenders of Catholic orthodoxy. The story incorporated comments by Vatican journalist Edward Pentin, reacting to an event reported last November when a Lutheran woman asked Pope Francis if she could receive Communion at holy Mass which she attends with her Catholic husband. To my ear, the Holy Father’s comments seemed a bit coy. He gave an obligatory nod to the Catechism by admitting that he could not personally approve of such, but effectively canceled that out by recommending she follow her conscience.
Pentin spoke for many others by remarking that the Pope should have stayed on point by recommending she become Catholic if she desires the Eucharist.
Graced reception of the Eucharist comes with a faith that confesses the truth that Christ comes to us sacramentally through the Church which He founded. A card-carrying Lutheran by definition does not hold that creedal faith.
Watch out, RCIA programs everywhere: Your numbers will drop through the floor if special permission is available through the Pope to bypass formal Profession of Faith and reception into the Church at the Easter Vigil Mass with graduation straight to the Communion line.
What the Pope says with seeming caprice in Rome translates poorly into parish life, threatening havoc and disorder; or ends by making the orthodox pastor or priest who pays more than mere lip service to the Catechism seem as if he is a buzzkill.
How many professional Catholic ecumaniacs have actually lived with and worshipped with Protestants? I would guess the number might be very few outside of the ranks of military chaplains if it is priests we are talking about. If the Tradition is considered too Catholic by some progressivists, they might do well to actually talk to mature Protestant Christians. I say this because in over 23 years of priesthood the most ecumenical thing I’ve ever done is to offer the Traditional Latin Mass.
On a summer Navy reserve deployment to Alaska a few years ago I offered the Traditional Latin Mass daily. Each day a mature lifelong Baptist Navy chief petty officer attended the Mass as an opportunity simply for “prayer” with the chaplain. Months later, after we had all returned home from the deployment, he surfaced on my Facebook page to tell me that, as a result of his experience, he had begun attending Mass, praying the rosary, and studying the Catechism.
Why? The Traditional Latin Mass seemed most truly to be what all Catholic Masses claim for themselves: that by participating the faithful are guaranteed to be in graced, sacramental contact with Christ the Lord through 2,000 years. My Navy chief petty officer Baptist friend now seeks out the Traditional Mass for that relationship with Christ. His biggest problem as a result of his faith journey? How to tell his committed Baptist wife.
For many years I have cherry-picked the comments and teachings of the Popes in order to tailor the message to the needs of the Catholics I serve. This should not surprise: It has never been true that everything the Popes say applies to each and every Catholic. Now, more than ever, with a pervasive social media and 24-hour access to Internet news, it is necessary for local pastors to help their people understand the nature of universal papal ministry today, while avoiding a discouraging confusion. The world becomes more and more in some ways like a village, yet with many differences remaining among those who dwell within its confines.
Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus, or “outside the Church there is no salvation,” remains just as true as it always was and the more bizarre fringes of Church-sponsored ecumania come off sounding as though they ignore it.
Ecumenism may be a sport in Rome with its peculiar charity sounding like “Don’t change: I love you just the way you are” but, so far, such extravagant gestures just don’t translate well for Mr. and Mrs. John Q. Catholic and their Protestant neighbors. The reality on the ground in local parishes remains one as led by our bishops, offering the Catholic faith to all as the path of salvation, through the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults or, perhaps, just plain old “Fr. Smith Instructs Jackson.”
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