Catholics as Members of the Body of Christ
By Kaylyn M.
There is something that frustrates me, kind of halfway between a pet peeve and righteous anger. I intended to write an essay about it, but I am not in the mood to make an outline or polish my words just yet. Right now, I am just getting my thoughts into words, or at least making an attempt to do so. Pretend you are listening to me give a speech (if you know me, you probably find this a bit unrealistic) and humor me by overlooking any minor misplacement of commas (I can never seem to get those right!).
What is this frustration of mine? Well, it is the fact that many protestants, particularly of Baptist and non-denominational backgrounds, tend to frequently slight their brothers and sisters in Christ who are members of the Catholic church. Okay, I used to be one of these people. I used to think that catholicism was a cult, similar to Mormonism, and far from Christianity. I remember one time writing to another girl on a social networking site, whom I had just “met” and, when I found out that she was catholic, telling her that she was part of a cult. I kind of wish I had a way to contact her and apologize, and I shake my head at my naive, young teenaged self who thought such a thing.
I realize that there are probably people of different faith backgrounds reading this, so I want to make it clear that I do not intend to be rude or claim everything I’m saying is right. I just want to clear up some commonly-held misconceptions about the Catholic faith. I am doing this based on personal experience and history, since I myself am not Catholic.
First, let me say that although the practices of worship may vary greatly from one denomination to another, and we see this even in different Protestant denominations, Catholics hold core beliefs with which any Protestant would (or at least should) agree. It really upsets me when I hear someone say something like “Oh, he’s not a Christian, he’s Catholic.”. One of the most concise statements of Christian belief held by the Catholic Church is the Apostle’s Creed. While many contemporary Protestant churches do not specifically recite such a statement in their services, I think all Christians will agree with it. I know I do:
“I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary; suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried. He descended into hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Holy Catholic Church, the communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.”
One clarification that needs to be made about this text is that “Catholic Church” means the Christian church, the body of Christ as a whole. I felt I should clarify that, lest someone say that the creed is exclusively “Catholic”. This same creed is used in the Reformed church (I know from experience) and I believe it is also used in the Lutheran church as well.
Another unifying element besides this is that the Lord’s Prayer (found in Matthew 6:9-13) is a common element of worship in the Catholic tradition, and although many Protestants no longer pray this prayer together in church on Sunday mornings, it’s safe to say that all Christians appreciate it and have prayed at least once in the past year. It’s from the Bible after all!
Secondly, I would like to address the charge that Catholics only know works, but not grace. I have heard someone say something to this effect on more than one occasion, but I know that it is not true. Of course, there are people caught up in good works and legalism who attend Catholic Mass on Sundays, just as there are Baptists, Presbyterians and Non-denominational church attendees who do the same. I want to make sure you all know that what I am not saying is that everyone who attends a Catholic church is a Christian, just like I would never say that every single person who attends a Protestant church every Sunday is a Christian. What I am saying, however, is that there are many Catholics who know Christ, just as there are many Protestants who know Christ.
Please allow me to use an example from Christian pop culture to illustrate my point. Perhaps you have heard of Christian singer Matt Maher, and maybe you have heard one of his most recent hits “Lord I Need You.” This song is a very powerful song that speaks of the hope we have in Christ and our desperate need for His grace. Here are some of the lyrics to the song (via http://www.newreleasetuesday.com/lyricsdetail.php?lyrics_id=81003):
Lord, I come, I confess
Bowing here I find my rest
Without You I fall apart
You're the One that guides my heart
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
Where sin runs deep Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me
Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
Teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand I'll fall on You
Jesus, You're my hope and stay
You may be thinking “And this proves your point how? This song has nothing to do with Catholicism.” Well, the reason I shared this specific song with you is that Matt Maher is
a Roman Catholic. To quote Rev. Damian J. Ference on wordonfire.org, “Many folks want to categorize Maher as a Christian artist, but in the spirit of Flannery O’Connor, I want to say that such a description is inadequate and inaccurate. Maher is an unapologetic Catholic Christian…” This was just one source I found that speaks of Maher’s Catholic faith. I was a little surprised when I found this out, because the song Lord I Need You, along with many other songs by Maher (e.g. “Christ is Risen” and “Your Grace is Enough”) sure sounds like it was written by a Protestant.
Now, again, I am not saying that every single person who goes to Mass every Sunday understands God’s Grace, just as not every person who attends a Protestant church every Sunday understands it either. I am merely saying that those who make claims that one cannot possibly be a Catholic and a Christian at the same time may need to rethink their ideas about religion.
This brings me to another point that does not only entirely have to do with Catholics, but us Protestants as well. I used to very much like the saying “Christianity is not a religion, it’s a relationship,” but now (GASP) it makes me a tad uncomfortable. I like to say (perhaps I that should be “like to think” since I’ve never actually articulated this thought until now) that Christianity is not just a religion, it is a relationship, but ultimately it is both. Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary (a great resource, by the way) gives one definition of religion as follows:
“Any system of faith and worship. In this sense, religion comprehends the belief and worship of pagans and Mohammedans, as well as of christians; any religion consisting in the belief of a superior power or powers governing the world, and in the worship of such power or powers...” (http://1828.mshaffer.com/d/word/religion)
Without “organized religion”, there would be no churches at all and people would be left to pursue their own individual relationships with Jesus on their own terms and their own time. This would be a disaster. Thus, I am quite uncomfortable with the assertion that “Catholicism is a religion, but Christianity is a relationship” (I am not quoting any one person’s exact statement, but rather a combination of the general trend of belief among those in my circles). There are two reasons I have for disagreeing with with this:
1. There are many Catholics who know Christ and have a relationship with Him, at least as much as can be seen by their actions and words. I realize only God can judge the heart.
2. Christianity is a religion, in that it is a system of belief, and in fact, true Catholicism is a denomination of Christianity.
I guess to summarize this point, I have to say that all Christians, Catholic or otherwise, need to be careful to give religion it’s proper place as we pursue growth in our relationships with Jesus. Religion is not the way to heaven, but in all technicality, Christianity is indeed a religion, according to the dictionary definition quoted above.
Okay, another thing that bugs me is that people say that many Protestants seem to have the idea that Catholicism is a take-off on Christianity. Well, this misconception is probably due to a lack of church history education. Having studied the History of Christianity for a whole school year at Augustine College, I know something about it, although I am in no way claiming to be an expert. The basic gist of it is this: Catholicism came first and the Protestant Reformation did not take place until over 1500 years after the beginning of the Christian church. Okay, okay, you probably knew that. And it is true that the early church itself did split into two groups, Catholic and Orthodox around the tenth century (I think). I guess what I am trying to point out is that Catholicism has been around quite a bit longer than Protestantism. At college, we studied the early church up to the Reformation for the first semester and then only get to the Reformation after Christmas break. That really made me realize just how short the Protestant church has been around. I feel like I’m slightly running around circles here, so I think it is time to move on to the next point.
I don’t know if this is so much a particular point as it is just another addition to my argument defending my Catholic brothers and sisters, but I would like to share with you a synopsis of the introduction to the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible, which I had to write as an assignment in Reading the Scriptures class at Augustine College. I’m sure you can find the actual introduction the study Bible somewhere, but I guess you’ll just have to take my word for it that my synopsis represents what was actually written in the introduction. Here is my synopsis:
The introduction to the Ignatius Catholic Study Bible starts out with a comparison of the Word
of God, Jesus Christ, to the word of God, the Bible. While the Word of God is divine, the Bible is divinely inspired. Christ in the incarnation is like us in all things except sin, and the Bible is similar to any other book, except in its inerrancy. One cannot have “the Bible without Jesus, or Jesus without the Bible (p. 1),” because they are both given to us to lead us to salvation.
Although human authors penned the words of scripture, God is the Ultimate Author. The fact
that the Bible is without error is based on the fact that it is inspired by God, who can neither err nor lie. The foundational purpose behind God’s word is His desire to bring us into a personal relationship with Him. In showing us Himself, God sometimes uses language of “condescension,” bringing concepts down to our level, and in other instances uses terms of “elevation,” which bring our knowledge to a higher The Bible is the core of our faith as well as the test of it: without faith in Jesus, one cannot correctly interpret or understand the words of scripture. According to the author of this text, the teaching of the Church cannot be separated from the Scriptures, and the Bible cannot be properly understood without the “infallible interpretation (p. 3)” that the Church gives. We must read the Bible in two senses: the literal sense and the spiritual sense. When reading in the literal sense, we take the words of Scripture as they were meant by its human writers; when reading in the spiritual sense we look at the meaning placed therein by the Holy Spirit. There are three spiritual senses of reading Scripture: the allegorical sense, which shows how events in the Old Testament point forward to events in the New Testament; the moral sense, which motivates virtuous behavior in its readers; and the anagogical sense, which looks ahead to our future in Heaven with God and instills hope within us. Each part of the Bible should be read in the context of the text as a whole, within the “living tradition (p. 5, from CCC 113)” of the Church, and most importantly, with prayer.
Sounds like sound Biblical advice to me, although I will say I disagree with the assertion that the Church gives an “infallible interpretation of the Bible”. Other than that, everything else sounds like something a Protestant writer would say about the Bible. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but that’s how I read it.
In conclusion, I hope I have given you all a glimpse into my thoughts and why I see members of the Catholic Church to be Christians as well, our brothers and sisters in Christ. I haven’t always thought this way, but life experience, and especially studying at Augustine College taught me to change my thinking and see Catholics as those whose background and tradition may be different than mine or yours, but who worship the same Christ and seek to know Him as well, as they learn to receive His grace. We are all in the battle for truth together, and it hurts me to see people criticizing those who are part of the Body of Christ just as they are. This has been on my mind for some time, and I just wanted to share my thoughts as a Christian who wants to point others to Jesus, and who believes that division in the Church is not good. I am not saying that we need one world Christian church, but rather that we all need to be one world Christian church, the Body of Christ, even as we worship Christ in different ways.
I would like to conclude with a passage of Scripture:
“ Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, lest anyone should say that I had baptized in my own name. Yes, I also baptized the household of Stephanas. Besides, I do not know whether I baptized any other. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect.”
~ 1 Corinthians 1:10-17
