In All Things, Charity by Fr. Andrew Reckers

It is easy to love those with whom we agree. However, to love those who disagree with us, even our enemies, is also essential to living the authentic Christian life (see, for example, Matthew 5:44). Of course, this does not mean that we should affirm or condone wrongdoing, but we must love the sinner even as we hate the sin. If we can do this, then we can and should also love those who disagree with us in matters that are open to a reasonable diversity of opinion. In his encyclical letter Ad Petri Cathedram, Pope St. John XXIII affirmed a quote that has helped many Christians to practice charity in the face of disagreement: “In essentials, unity; in doubtful matters, liberty; in all things, charity (APC 72).” Although applying this to specific circumstances can be quite challenging, the general principles help guide how we are to interact with others when there are wide differences of opinion within our communities.

In essentials, unity. All of us must be faithful to the Lord and everything He has revealed to us and teaches us in and through His Church. This is because the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, is God’s chosen means of relating to us in love and doing His work in the world. One of the consequences of this is that fidelity to the Lord entails fidelity to His Church and all the Church’s official teachings. It also means that we must be united in how we worship the Lord in prayer and through the Sacramental life of the Church. No matter how many organizational changes may happen in the human structures of the Church, we must always keep our focus on union with Jesus Christ, our One High Priest and Shepherd. Jesus is the calm port in the storm of uncertainty and change.

In doubtful matters, liberty. While we must hold firmly to all the essential truths of the Faith, there are many beliefs that are theological opinions rather than official Church teachings. For example, I was surprised to learn in recent years that the Church does not have an official teaching on whether non-rational animals have an afterlife (this refers to animals that do not have the rational powers of intellect and will, such as pets and wild animals). Growing up, I had always assumed that the Church officially taught that only human souls survived bodily death. However, I learned in my studies during and after seminary that this belief is only a popularly held theological opinion. Moreover, within the past couple years, I was very surprised to learn that this theological opinion is more doubtful than I realized, making the possibility of animal afterlife an open question. I use this example to illustrate that we can reasonably disagree on theological matters that have not been officially settled by the Church, even if they might seem to be settled.

In all things, charity. When we disagree with someone, we can and should do so without being disagreeable. Here, it can be helpful to remember something that should be obvious: That all people, even people with whom we disagree, are made in God’s image and have human dignity. As a result, even if we vigorously debate ideas, we should never let this result in attacking another person’s character or reputation. If we want others to respect us and our opinions, then we need to always be respectful and courteous toward others in our dialogue with them or in our speaking about them to others, even if our opinions differ dramatically.

When applying the three-part principle above, different people will be challenged by it in different ways. In general, conservatively minded people will probably find the first part relatively easy to accept and the second part relatively difficult. On the other hand, progressively minded people will probably find the first part relatively difficult to accept and the second part relatively easy. Here, conservatives should be careful not to hastily categorize theological opinions as official Church teachings, and progressives should be careful not to regard official Church teachings as theological opinions which can be doubted. Of course, it requires careful discernment to categorize these things properly, and that is why the Church’s official teaching body, the Magisterium, is essential in this regard.

One thing, however, is certain: Everyone is challenged to be more charitable toward people with whom they disagree. The main practical reason I bring this up is because of the diversity of opinions that exist among parishioners in our Family of Parishes. Moreover, beginning this coming July, we will be welcoming two new priests who will bring more diversity of opinion and liturgical style among the assigned priests than was experienced over the past two years. My firmly held understanding is that there will still be unity in all the essentials among the new priests, both in terms of belief and liturgical practice. However, the differences in other matters may require us to redouble our efforts to be charitable. In particular, I invite each one of us to pray especially for the priest with whom we disagree the most, whoever he may be. Pray for him to be the best and most loving priest he can be, and pray to be as charitable as possible with him. It is only through unity with Jesus Christ, formed by charity, that we can grow and thrive together as a Family of Parishes.