Matt Fradd's Blog, page 23

Traps That Catholic Conservatives Should Avoid

No political party is completely with the Church on every issue. True, many conservatives are pro-life and support the Church’s freedom to preach the Gospel. But they may have flawed views on other issues.

If you’re conservative and Catholic, then your Catholic faith should modify your conservative beliefs — NOT vice versa.

Here are a few traps many conservatives fall into that Catholics should avoid.

1. Marriage is a union of any two people who like each other
Although there are plenty of proponents of traditional marriage among conservatives, some have given way to the LGBTQ lobby’s redefinition of marriage in the name of “freedom.”

This is something no Catholic can accept. Both the natural law written on our hearts by God and His divine revelation in Scripture and Tradition show that marriage is only between one man and one woman. This is set in stone.

We can’t force people to accept this fact. And the Church teaches us to respect and love all human beings, who are made in God’s image. But charity also impels us to stand firm on this issue. Denying the truth is never charitable.

2. Men and women differ only in biology
Many liberals say that our biology has nothing to do with our gender. Many conservatives rightly respond that our biology does matter. Women are women and men are men because of bodily differences.

The problem is, some conservatives stop there. They treat the differences between men and women as only biological. While biology plays a role, there are also psychological and spiritual differences. The Church has pointed this out in many documents, such as Pope St. John Paul II’s Apostolic Letter to Women.

3. “I’m not my brother’s keeper”
Many conservatives admirably critique the government’s overreach in communist and socialist societies. However, some conservatives go to the opposite extreme and promote an overly radical individualism.

The Church strongly condemns communism and socialism, as well as more extreme forms of capitalism. Pope St. John Paul II stated the following in his encyclical “Centesimus Annus”:

“The Marxist solution has failed, but the realities of marginalization and exploitation remain in the world, especially the Third World, as does the reality of human alienation, especially in the more advanced countries. Against these phenomena the Church strongly raises her voice. Vast multitudes are still living in conditions of great material and moral poverty. The collapse of the Communist system in so many countries certainly removes an obstacle to facing these problems in an appropriate and realistic way, but it is not enough to bring about their solution. Indeed, there is a risk that a radical capitalistic ideology could spread which refuses even to consider these problems, in the a priori belief that any attempt to solve them is doomed to failure, and which blindly entrusts their solution to the free development of market forces.”

The Church does not officially endorse any political party or program. We can certainly debate which parties better reflect God’s law.

But at the end of the day, we are not spokespeople for any “kingdom” here on earth. We are Christ’s witnesses to His eternal kingdom. This kingdom has already begun in the Church and will fully blossom in heaven — that happy home where the lies and schemes of politicians will have no place.

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Why Mary Matters

Why does the Catholic Church put so much emphasis on the Blessed Virgin Mary? After all, she’s not God. She was a lowly virgin from a humble town in a country ruled by a foreign empire.

Plus, our veneration of Mary is a major stumbling block for Protestants. They see our veneration as amounting to worship. Even some modern-day Catholics wonder if Mary gets too much attention. They worry that our high regard for her ends up detracting from our relationship with Christ.

Here’s why Mary matters….a lot.

Our beliefs about Mary protect our beliefs about Christ.
From the early centuries of the Church, being a member of the Body of Christ meant having a proper Christology — the right doctrines about Christ. This meant believing that Christ was both true man and true God. Many heresies sprang up in the early Church that denied some fundamental beliefs about the nature and mission of Jesus.

Interestingly enough, some of our beliefs about Mary were developed to defend our beliefs about Christ. For example, the Council of Ephesus in 431 reaffirmed the practice of calling Mary “the Mother of God.” This was to defend the unity of Christ who — though having two distinct natures — was not two separate people. The baby Mary gave birth to was a divine Person who assumed human nature; therefore, Mary can be called the Mother of God even though Christ’s divine nature did not come from her.

Mary shows us our future glorified state in heaven.
The Second Vatican Council’s constitution “Lumen Gentium” has a beautiful section about Mary and her relationship to the Church. It says: “But while in the most holy Virgin the Church has already reached that perfection whereby she is without spot or wrinkle, the followers of Christ still strive to increase in holiness by conquering sin. And so they turn their eyes to Mary who shines forth to the whole community of the elect as the model of virtues.”

The Blessed Virgin Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin and committed no personal sin. Instead of that gift, we have inherited the wounded nature of our first parents. But Mary shows us what we will become. Christ promised that those who follow Him faithfully will eventually be cleansed of every stain of sin and reign with Him forever. He gave us the sacraments to help us start healing ourselves in this life.

Mary is also unique in being one of the very few to be assumed body and soul into heaven. We will be separated from our bodies at death and not be reunited with them until the end of time. This may cause us some anxiety, but through His mother, Christ assures us that He will raise our bodies up to a new, glorious state free of pain and death.

While all the saints reveal to us what we can become through God’s grace, Mary surpasses them in radiating the image of humanity redeemed and glorified.

In light of that, she deserves all the attention we give her.

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4 Ways to Build Community This Year

When God created Adam, He said that it was not good for the man to be alone. So He created Eve. Adam’s reaction upon seeing Eve was a cry of joy: “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Gen. 2:23).

While these words refer to the first community — the communion between man and woman in marriage — they can also be applied to any human community.

When God created us, He stamped His image upon us. This is why we crave the companionship of others. Remember, God Himself is a communion of three Persons.

Yet, we live in an age of isolation. This is ironic. We’re more interconnected than ever! But online interactions alone can’t fully satisfy our social cravings.

If you’re wanting to build community this new year, here are some ideas.

1. Go to Mass more often
This may seem like a no-brainer to some of you, but others probably aren’t going to Mass as often as they should.

God wants us to worship Him not only as individuals, but also as a body — the Body of Christ. Plus, Mass is a great place to meet people who will actually support your faith, not try to destroy it!

2. Reach out to someone who is lonely
Some people struggle to build the community they desire because of chronic pain, illness, or the loss of a loved one. They may also worry about being a burden to others because of their condition.

These are the people who need community most. Discern whether there’s someone you know who has held back, but would love another person to talk to.

You don’t need to offer anything fancy. Simply being present is one of the most beautiful gifts you can give.

3. Volunteer at a charitable organization
As we said, community is about being there for our neighbors, especially those who lack basic necessities.

One of the most fulfilling things you can do is volunteer at a food pantry or other charitable organization. You’ll be bringing the love of Christ to those in need and meeting some great people!

4. Join a Catholic group
Let’s face it, our culture is largely against us. We all need Catholic friends to support us as we walk through this real-life Mordor.

Some parishes and dioceses have groups for young adult Catholics and seniors. Ask yours about groups you can join.

Also consider starting your own group based on a hobby. C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien were part of an informal club called the Inklings. These blokes — many of whom were authors or academics — read and critiqued each other’s writings, smoked, drank beer, and simply enjoyed each other’s company.

As our society moves more into virtual interactions, we must find ways to create community with other people in the real world. Give one or more of these ideas a try and enrich your life!

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Catholicism Has No Place for Marxism

It’s frightening to see communism gaining a foothold among the youth of the Western world, even among some Catholics. Academic institutions are forming young minds to see communism as a benevolent system that will erase injustices and bring about a golden age of equality for all.

Many communist sympathizers see Karl Marx — the chief brain behind communist theory — as a hero. They may not know that he was a big hypocrite.

Here are a couple of things to know about the real Karl Marx.

 

 

He exempted himself from the demands of communism.
One key feature of Marxist communism is the abolition of all rights of inheritance. This probably isn’t something a lot of young communist sympathizers think about. It means that the money they would inherit from their parents would be confiscated by the state. I doubt many of them actually want that, especially if they’re still living in their parents’ basement.

By the way, you know who inherited money from his parents? Marx, the guy who wanted to abolish rights of inheritance. Seems like he didn’t want to abolish those rights for himself, just everyone else. He later ended up poor and depended on money from his friend Engels — another man who inherited money.

Later communist leaders are even more hypocritical. Notice how in communist regimes such as Cuba and North Korea the masses are poor while the leaders enjoy great wealth and privilege.

So much for equality.

Marx didn’t have a place for God in his system.
There are plenty of atheistic communists. And then there are those who somehow think that communism is the best expression of Jesus’ call to help the poor and needy.

Marx would have probably laughed at the idea of Christian communism. While people debate whether he was an atheist in the strictest sense of the word, he definitely acted like one.

His vision of a utopia didn’t leave much positive room for religion. He called religion “the opium of the people” — an expression also used by Russia’s communist leader Vladimir Lenin.

Marx exalted humankind as the pinnacle and reference point of everything — a rival to God. His communism was a materialistic one.

While communism is best judged and rejected on its principles, Marx’s personal problems damaged the credibility of the system he championed. It always seems like the greatest proponents of communism never want to live up to its demands.

If you happen to meet a communist sympathizer, ask them if they’re really willing to give up all they have to enrich a few people at the top. They may initially think you’re talking about capitalism, but SURPRISE! Communism is a system for the privileged few.

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What’s the Difference Between a Doctrine and a Dogma?

Church teaching can seem like a maze of different statements with different weights assigned to each one. People debate whether “such-and-such a teaching” is binding or merely a personal opinion of the pope.

A lot of the confusion surrounds the terms “dogma” and “doctrine.” Perhaps you know that the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a dogma, but wonder how that differs from other teachings that are doctrines.

Here are the differences between doctrine and dogma.

What’s a dogma?
A dogma is the most authoritative teaching made by the Church. It is when the pope — and sometimes the bishops in union with him — teach infallibly that a certain belief is part of divine revelation and binding on the universal Church for all times and places. Dogmas must be adhered to with a divine and catholic faith by all in the Church. In other words, they require the highest level of assent.

Theologians don’t agree on the number of dogmas, but they generally agree that the Assumption and the Immaculate Conception are defined as such. There are, of course, other dogmas, such as the divinity of Christ.

Also note that the Church can infallibly define things that — while not directly being divinely revealed — have a necessary connection to divine revelation. This includes certain philosophical propositions that have a bearing on revealed truth.

What’s a doctrine?
Dogma is a kind of doctrine, but doctrine is a much broader category of teaching. Doctrine includes other beliefs that are taught authoritatively, but not infallibility. This means that there are elements of these non-infallible beliefs that may change over time even though the core of the teaching still reflects some aspect of the deposit of faith.

In other words, you are required to adhere to a non-infallible doctrine when it is taught, but it may be that the Church changes aspects of it and no longer requires adherence to those elements.

A caution about terminology.
The understanding of dogma and doctrine presented here is what you’ll find in modern Catholic theology. However, these words were used much more loosely in the past, an aspect that continues in some writings today. You’ll often find them used interchangeably or with broader definitions. Just keep that in mind.

Bonus: theological opinions
There’s another category of papal teaching called “theological opinions.” These teachings are not binding on the faithful. They are merely an expression of a pope’s theological views. However, in the cases of holy popes such as St. John Paul II, they do deserve a fair hearing.

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Was the Early Church Communist?

In Acts 2:44-45 we read, “And all who believed were together and had all things in common, and they sold their possessions and goods and distributed them to all, as any had need.” In 4:32 of the same book, we find that “the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common.”

Sounds suspiciously like communism, doesn’t it? In fact, some communist- or socialist-leaning Christians quote these verses to “prove” that the early Church practiced a form of communism.

But that’s not the case. Here’s why.

The early Church didn’t force or command people to sell their possessions.
We often read in Scripture and early Christian literature of people voluntarily selling their possessions to the poor. We don’t read about the Church forcing them to do so. We don’t find Sts. Peter or Paul making the abdication of ownership a condition to receive baptism or any of the other sacraments, although it may have been advised as a form of penance.

By contrast, communism is a state-run regime that forcibly takes away everyone’s possessions. Ironically, this is sometimes done in the name of materialistic atheism.

The difference here is between voluntary charity and the force of the state.

The early Church didn’t condemn private property.
Not only did the early Church not force people to sell their possessions, it didn’t even condemn private property in principle. Instead, early Church leaders reminded their followers that all things ultimately belong to God and as such we should freely share what we have with others.

The first Christians simply weren’t interested in an earthly utopia.
All communist regimes are ultimately centered on creating a paradise on earth — at least that’s what the communist leaders want the masses to think. Communism puts so much focus on this utopia that it ends up justifying the most horrific atrocities to bring it about.

By contrast, the early Church was far more focused on helping Christians get to heaven. Not that it didn’t try to ease the plight of the suffering on earth. We know very well that the Church has always been one of the most effective charitable organizations in history. But that charity is meant to share Christ’s love with the suffering, not create heaven on earth.

While it’s true that our consumerist culture often leaves out the poor and oppressed, communism is not going to solve that problem. Rather, we need to tone down our constant desire for things and increase our charity, so that all may have a share in the gifts of God.

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Got Hope?

It’s a new year, and that means it’s a time for new beginnings! Perhaps you’re already attempting New Year’s resolutions.

But we all know how human nature is — we have good intentions and then we fail. And if we fail repeatedly, we get discouraged and lose hope.

Maybe your past failures already have you pessimistic about this new year. If so, then the virtue of hope is what you need.

What is the virtue of hope? Let’s find out.

Hope is one of the three theological virtues.
The theological virtues of faith, hope, and charity are infused virtues. That means you can’t acquire them by your own power. They have to be infused — poured into your heart — by God. Typically, they are poured into our hearts at baptism.

Note that there are human versions of faith, hope, and charity. In other words, there is human hope — connected to your natural powers — and then there is the virtue of hope, a supernatural form of hope given to you by God. Although these two versions of hope are analogous and valuable, they are not the same. You can’t have the theological virtue of hope by your own power, although human hope can better dispose you to receive this virtue.

The virtue of hope attains to God who is omnipotent and merciful, who is true to His promises, and who gives us everlasting life. With His mercy, God looks upon us in our pitiable state to remove some of the sting of our suffering. And in His omnipotence, He is infinitely capable of helping us overcome every obstacle to our salvation, even those that seem insurmountable to us.

Hope gives you the certainty that God’s promises apply to you in your current state, so long as you’re open to His grace and cooperate with it.

Sins against hope.
There are two main sins against hope. The first is presumption. This is where you become overconfident about your salvation and think you’ll get to heaven with minimal effort. You don’t put in the hard work of conforming yourself to Christ and growing in holiness. It’s basically when we behave like spoiled kids who think their parents will keep giving them everything they want, no matter how they behave.

The other sin is despair. Despair is when you assume that all will end badly, so you don’t put in the effort to be saved. Despair is an offense against God, who in His infinite mercy is ready to offer you every grace you need to arrive at your heavenly home. As Jesus said to St. Faustina, “The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to my mercy.”

Let’s close with a few lines of hope from the poem “What the Bird Said Early in the Year,” by C.S. Lewis:

This year, this year, as all these flowers foretell,
We shall escape the circle and undo the spell.

Often deceived, yet open once again your heart,
Quick, quick, quick, quick!—the gates are drawn apart.

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Aquinas didn’t like this argument for God’s existence

You may not be familiar with St. Anselm, but he was a famous theologian in Aquinas’ day. He’s best remembered for his “ontological argument.” Besides Aquinas’ “Five Ways,” it’s probably the most famous argument for God’s existence in Catholic tradition.

And Aquinas rejected it.

“What!” you might say. “Why would he do that?”

Good question! Buckle up, put on your philosophy hat, and let’s dive in.

How the argument goes

St. Anselm’s ontological argument goes something like this: God is defined as “that than which nothing greater can be conceived.” In other words, God lacks no conceivable perfection.

Now suppose you accept this definition of God—but you say He doesn’t exist in real life, He’s only a conception in the mind. God would have all the same attributes as He would in real life, except for one: to exist objectively, outside the mind. But it’s more perfect to exist objectively than to exist only in someone’s mind. So the concept of God in the mind lacks this perfection.

Yet God, by definition, lacks no conceivable perfection. Therefore, God must have a real existence outside the mind.

Why Aquinas rejected this argument

The ontological argument rests on the idea that we can know God’s essence in itself: specifically that God, by his essence, necessarily exists.

Aquinas says no, that’s not self-evident to us — at least not here on Earth. In Heaven, we’ll see God as He is, and it will be self-evident that God is His own existence. But in the meantime, the proposition that “God is his own existence” is not self-evident to us. We can’t just start with that definition of God. We have to logically arrive at it, as a conclusion.

This doesn’t mean St. Anselm’s argument was bad. Aquinas had a great respect for the theologians and philosophers who came before him. He inherited their traditions and built his own work on their foundations. But he was intellectually honest enough to critique them.

And that’s a great example for us, if we want to learn from great thinkers, yet be good critical thinkers too.

 

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What should Catholics think about “the culture”?

If you’re a Catholic, it seems like the lines are getting drawn ever more clearly between you and “the culture.”

That’s not surprising. Christians have always been called to live “in the world but not of the world.”

So does that mean Catholics should separate themselves from the culture?

Well, it depends.

Culture, in itself, isn’t inherently bad. Humans are social creatures. We’re created for community, through which we serve God and pursue the good together.

So the deeper questions are: Who, or what, are we serving as a culture? What “good” are we pursuing as a culture?

On the one hand, we live in a materialistic culture. We value things based on utility and pleasure. Hence everything becomes subjective, even truth. That’s a culture that Catholics can’t get on board with.

But on the other hand, there’s more to the culture than that. The human heart seeks higher things. That’s why we have the arts. Pay attention to certain secular movies, shows, and music and you’ll notice how they point to the good, true, and beautiful.

The contemplative arts are where Catholics can make a huge impact on the culture. Even though we’re called to be “in the world but not of the world,” Catholics have a long, rich tradition of bringing truth, goodness, and beauty into the world. Just think of cathedrals like Notre Dame, literature like “The Lord of the Rings,” and composers like Mozart.

Catholics can keep this tradition alive, even in today’s culture.

If you’re a Catholic writer, musician, or artist — or even if you just like to discuss faith and philosophy — don’t underestimate yourself! Everyone can do something to create paths in our culture that lead to God.

 

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The quick answer to “Are we saved by faith or by works?”

Catholics often get accused of contradicting the Bible because they believe we’re saved by works, not by faith.

So which is it?

Let’s answer this question once and for all: We’re saved by faith.

But not faith that is alone. (Shout-out to Scott Hahn for phrasing it that way.)

 

Making an act of faith (even declaring Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior) doesn’t depend entirely on you. That’s because faith is a gift. It’s a power you receive from God. This tends to get lost in Catholic-Protestant debates.

Still, we’re not off the hook for good works. We ought to love our neighbors and strive to make the world a better place. That’s “faith working through love,” as St. Paul puts it (Galatians 5:6).

But we shouldn’t have the impression that God’s going to tally all the good versus bad things we’ve done in this life and then decide whether to let us through the pearly gates. That’s not how being saved “works” (pun intended).

All right, so we are saved by faith as a gift. That means a good follow-up question to think about (or pray about) is: What have you done with this gift that’s been given to you?

 

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