Slow Down and Think

By the time this post will actually be present on the good old internet, the Synod on the Family currently taking place in Rome will have concluded. While it might to you, then, seem a bit dated for me to write a commentary on a Synod that is over and probably will have fallen out of national news already, I quite like the timing.

At this world meeting of Bishops and a group of priests and lay people who were invited, some of the hottest issues of our time have been discussed, and it has happened with more than a little bit of controversy. Due to the age in which we find ourselves it would be impossible to read everything that has been written on the Synod. I am not writing a hot-off-the-press response, though; rather, the hope of this piece is to encourage the faithful to think rationally and deeply about the issues presented here, knowing that the teaching Body of our Church is alive and well as long as we allow it to be.

In a book I am currently reading called “My Brother, the Pope,” written by Monsignor Georg Ratzinger (really it’s an interview with him that was turned into a book, but his name is on the cover), he talks about the time when his brother was first brought to Rome as the Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith. If you remember the time of Ratzinger as the head of this Congregation (I barely do, but that’s why we have the internet to go back and read about things), you will remember a false but well-spread narrative which said that John Paul II, beloved by most everyone, wanted to change some things about the Church’s teachings. But this German Cardinal who was in charge of the Doctrine of the Faith wouldn’t allow it. This narrative of the media was obviously not true (sounds familiar, doesn’t it?), but draws our attention back to what was really happening in the Ratzinger-led Congregation during those years.

In commenting on this time, Michael Hesemann (the man who interviewed the former Pope’s brother for this book) explains that Cardinal Ratzinger had seventy-nine co-workers in this Congregation, people from five continents who were young theologians and were on the front lines of the theological debates the Congregation was called to discuss and define. He states that, in this office, they would often have discussions over coffee on one of their breaks, sometimes leading to some very heated arguments about this theological concept or that doctrinal implication. Before going any further, I hope that you will join me in thinking about how cool that image is; Cardinal Ratzinger, one of the best known minds in the world, hand-picked by Pope John Paul II to come to Rome and lead this congregation, sitting around drinking coffee with people from all over the world discussing theology and getting so passionate about it that he was getting into heated debates.

This moment, though, is not rare in the history of the Church. Throughout her past, the Church has debated the things She believes passionately, because the teachings of the Church are not things to be discussed lightly. In history, we have Jolly-Old Saint Nicholas, known by us as the inspiration of Santa Clause, spending a night in jail for walking across a room and hitting Arius because he was so angry with the (now known to be) heresy that Arius was trying to teach at Nicea. From then until now, we have continued to debate, discuss, and learn what the Lord has revealed to us, always being patient but diligent in our studies; if you want to read a little bit more about this history of debate, there’s some cool anecdotes and analysis from Fr. Robert Barron here: “Having Patience for the Sausage Making Synod.”

Let’s go back to that coffee break-room in the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, circa 1982, then, for a moment. The theologians joined together with Cardinal Ratzinger (himself, of course, quite a theologian) in open discussion because they knew it was important, and the Cardinal encouraged this because he knew that this was how the Church would come to understand the Truth which the Lord had revealed to them. This congregation was reading statements, books, and papers from theologians around the world who were saying and writing things that seemed totally erroneous and heretical, yet they needed to be discussed and debated in order that, in Her wisdom, the Church could define these Truths and pass them on to generations to come.

Today, we are clearly still in the midst of that conversation. Whether the conversation takes place in Ratzinger’s office or in the Synod of Bishops, the conversation is important because it is our conversation, our debate, our deep thought and our honest discussion that can allow the Church to understand what God is trying to say to Her and to the faithful. Instead of being upset when we read something we don’t like, then, maybe each of us should take the time to read about it, to learn the history of our Church’s teachings on that topic, and to form our own opinion, and then to have honest discussion about the faith with believers and non-believers alike. Then, in our patience and our rational thought, we might just be able to hear the voice of God speaking the Truth to us, whether it’s what we thought it was or not. As for the Synod, this would probably be a very good place to start.

Jason Theobald

Jason Theobald

Jason is a Catholic youth minister who thinks that love casts out all fear. He is a diehard Chicago Bulls fan and dabbles in following hockey while doing his best to ignore baseball. He wants everyone to know that the Christian life is worth living and tries to write in a way which shows how true that is. He has a new website/blog, called Fulton Street, which will deal with art and modern culture, coming soon.

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2 thoughts on “Slow Down and Think”

  1. Pingback: Syria: 17-year-old Christian Boy Crucified - BigPulpit.com

  2. Jason, good article for people who take their faith seriously. The problem might be with the vast majority of people who do not really take their faith seriously, those who are so wrapped up with job, money, pleasures, sports, drugs, ….that all the thinking they do about faith starts and ends with the headlines of “major” media. Many people think the devil wants to get the Church to change her ideology in a major way. BUT, I disagree. I believe the devil knows absolutely that he can not get that. I believe that what the devil wants is to simply muddy the water in the eyes of most people so they think the Church has changed her theology and doctrines, or to convince these people that it does not matter because nobody really knows what the Church teaches and it is going to change eventually, so again, it does not matter. A “few” big named Cardinals, “floating” ideas in the public press and people who do not take their faith seriously will be deceived unless others re-educate them. That is our job. 2 Thes. 2:8-12, “And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord (Jesus) will kill with the breath of his mouth and render powerless by the manifestation of his coming, the one whose coming springs from the power of Satan in every mighty deed and in signs and wonders that lie,and in every wicked deceit for those who are perishing because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved.Therefore, God is sending them a deceiving power so that they may believe the lie, that all who have not believed the truth but have approved wrongdoing may be condemned.”

    They will believe the deceiving spirit Because they have not accepted the love of truth so that they may be saved.
    How many people show a true love of truth, seek it and do all they can to help others love truth? I have an idea on my blog at eternalvisionfarmer.blogspot.com Under a poster and slip of paper idea that I believe all ministers of all faiths should support and could help many more people accept the love of truth and help others continue to love truth rather than become lukewarm about it.

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