Are You Liberal or
Conservative?
Or Catholic?
Are you a liberal Catholic
or a conservative Catholic? Do you
prefer the Tridentine Mass or the Novus Ordo?
Do you like Gregorian Chant or liturgical music played on guitar? Would you rather see nuns in full habit or a
sweater vest? If you chose the first of
each option, you are a conservative Catholic; if you chose the latter, you are
a liberal Catholic. And whichever one
you are, you will agree that the other is wrong.
The opening paragraph of
this article is nonsense. And yet, many
of us are routinely put in one of these two boxes – conservative Catholic or
liberal Catholic. It’s done to us by the
media, by politicians, but most of all by other Catholics. Liberal and conservative are fine terms to
apply to politics (though many of us would not like the stereotypes that come
with those labels in that arena), but they have no place in religion.
Look again at the
questions in the first paragraph. There
are two approved forms for the Mass.
Regardless of which you prefer, you are Catholic – not liberal, not
conservative – Catholic. Gregorian Chant
has a long tradition in the liturgy and is even recommended by the Second
Vatican Council. However, other forms of
liturgical music have been approved as well.
Regardless of which you prefer, you are Catholic. Sisters in full habit are a powerful sign in
our unbelieving world. And yet, many
orders have been granted permission to choose a different style of dress; for a
couple it is even part of their history and founding. If they are being obedient, they are being
Catholic.
Here’s my (least)
favorite: Do you believe in pro-life or social justice? As if the two can be separated! The right to life is the preeminent human
right and is at the top of our social justice priorities. When people ask this question, however, they
generally regard social justice simply as concern for the poor. Guess what, both are Catholic. If we have no concern for the right to life,
we are being unfaithful. If we have no
concern for the poor, we are being unfaithful.
We all have limited time for ministry and activism, so we prayerfully
choose where to devote it, but to set one part of the Church’s mission against
another, is a sin.
I have my preferences,
too. But we must have the humility to
recognize that our preferences need not be everyone’s. There is no liberal Catholic or conservative
Catholic. The real question for us is,
are we orthodox Catholics or do we dissent?
To this question there is certainly a right and a wrong position.
Jesus established a Church,
His Body, His Bride. He gave that Church
authority, beginning with Peter and his successors (the popes) and the bishops
in union with Peter. This is the
Magisterium (teaching office) of the Church.
When it teaches, universally, on a question of faith and morals, it is
Christ speaking. The question to us is,
how do we respond?
Orthodoxy means “right
belief.” If we are orthodox, we believe
rightly, we embrace the Truth that Christ has given us through His Church. If we pick and choose which part of that
Truth we embrace, we are dissenters, we are wrong, and we need to repent.
This in no way limits our
freedom of thought or makes us robots.
Catholic intellectual tradition is the richest in the history of the world,
and there are a host of topics on which the Church allows great latitude and
encourages discussion and investigation.
In fact, the one thing God will not do is take away our freedom. He died for it. It is the freedom to say no to God that is
what allows sin to exist. Jesus went to
the Cross particularly because He created us as moral beings, not robots.
Imagine you are a student
of math. Early on you will learn the
basic principles of addition. You will
learn, for example, that two plus two equals four. You are free not to accept that truth;
however, you will be less free, not more.
If you accept mathematical truth, you are free to flourish in your
exploration and understanding of math.
You are free to accept error, but your error with limit your
mathematical development. The truth,
however, will set you free.
Sound familiar? We must not apply political terms to our
Faith. Regardless of personal
preferences or style, are we orthodox?
Do we accept the clear teaching of the Church where it has been given,
or do we think we know better than God?
I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse;
therefore choose life, that you and your descendants may live.—Dt. 30:19
