In this current modern age where Catholic Christians find their faith challenged on every front, we are in fact, encountering nothing new except that it is now happening to us.
If we look closely at the past we will see the early Christians facing the very same dilemmas that we face today–abortion, attacks on marriage, pagan worship, secularism, relativism, humanism, government interference and religious intolerance. For us the root of it all is the loss of identity both as individuals and as a nation, whereas, for them it was the establishing of their identity.
The further we move away from God the more our identity becomes distorted. We lose sight of whom and whose we are. Society tells us that the widespread acceptance of practices, such as, cohabitation, and same-sex relationships–which contradict and challenge our beliefs at every turn–are “the new normal.”
In an effort to be politically correct, we begin to accept, without seeking to fully understand the ramifications, what has heretofore been considered taboo. As a result, society seeks to redefine all that has gone before–marriage, life and even death.
In the sentiments of G. K. Chesterton, people throw out what they do not know or understand. Traditions that have no meaning to the current crowd are discarded as unimportant and we develop a utilitarian view of life and its meaning. If we see no use or purpose for it we throw it out. This is not said lightly or with malice; it is simply an observation of the signs of our times.
Perhaps the most important thing for us as Christians to remember at this time is that there is much good news–we have not been left alone. The truth of God’s Word remains; it cannot be reduced nor changed regardless of man’s attempts to redefine or reshape it.
More than that, God prepared for this time long ago; He has provided us with the necessary tools to face its apparent darkness with joy and hope. We need only to wield those tools and rely on Him to do the rest.
Fifty years ago God directed the fathers of the Church to provide the guidance we need today. This guidance can be found in the wisdom of the words and documents of the Second Vatican Council.
Recognizing a need for a renewal of faith and identity, the Council embarked upon a path of self-analysis and identification. The major documents springing from the Council offer great insights into the purpose and mission of the Church and the faithful. It is in these documents that we find the impetus for the teachings of Blessed Pope John XXIII, Paul VI, Blessed John Paul II and the current Holy Father Benedict XVI.
Like our forebears, the Christians of the first century, today’s Christians find themselves surrounded by unbelievers and others who are intolerant. Some who act with an exaggerated anger directed at destroying or silencing Christians, while others are simply indifferent to Christianity and the relevance of God’s truth. Christians often find themselves at a loss of how to approach these people, of how to dialogue with them in a meaningful manner.
They see intolerance in the politics of today where negative campaigning is the norm and there is a divisive split in the nation as to what is good for the future. The words of Pilate are echoed among politicians and others who have a relativistic plan to achieve their own worldly happiness, most often at the expense of others: “Truth, what is truth, if it doesn’t bring me what I want?”
It is time for Catholics to go to the arsenal of Vatican II and bring out the tools God has given us for our own good and salvation. Among these tools in particular is one post-conciliar document that offers us guidance on how to maneuver in the entanglements of language that has been deliberately obscured and distorted.
This document Humanae Personae Dignitatem, On Dialog with Unbelievers, shares the wisdom of the fathers of Vatican II with us today. It lays out a pattern for entering into dialogue with those who oppose us. In doing so it opens the door for us to work for the renewal of society and the faith. It reminds us of the necessity of living in and bringing about the kingdom of God here, in this place, in this time, just as every Christian before us was called to live.
Drawing from the great documents Lumen Gentium, Gaudium et spes, Dei Verbum, the Decree on the Apostolate of Lay People and the Declaration on Religious Freedom, this document reminds us collectively and individually what it is to live the Christian life and speak the Truth in love to those who do not believe, to those who in fact may hate us, and to do so with such love that they are converted, not by us, but by the love of Christ who is in us.
“Dialogue, insofar as it relies on mutual relationships between the participants, demands that each party acknowledge the dignity and worth of the other person. All Christians should do their best to promote dialogue between men of every class, as a duty of fraternal charity.” (Dialog With Unbelievers, ch. 1)
“The search for truth must be carried out in a manner that is appropriate to the dignity of the human person and his social nature, namely by free inquiry with the help of teaching or instruction, communication and dialogue. It is by these means that men share with each other the truth they have discovered in such a way that they help one another in the search for truth.” (Declaration on Religious Liberty, n. 3)
“The desire for such discussion which is motivated solely by love of truth, excludes nobody.” (Gaudium et spes, n. 92)
Paul VI wrote in the encyclical Ecclesiam suam, “It is by means of dialogue in that sense that the Church performs its chief function in preaching the Gospel to all men, giving them in a spirit of reverence and love the gift of grace and truth which Christ deposited with it.” Dialogue is not the same as confrontation; for its object is that each side should come closer to the other side and should understand it better for mutual enrichment.
While this is not an exhaustive examination of Humanae Personae Dignitatem, it is intended to awaken in the faithful a hunger to learn more, to seek truth in darkness, and to do so for love of what is truth and good. For a full transcript of this and other documents of the Second Vatican Council visit diocesecc.org/VaticanII.
Bishop Wm. Michael Mulvey recently said, “If you don’t find love, give love; if you don’t find forgiveness, forgive; and if you don’t find healing, give healing.” Do what is important and God will do the rest.