Under the Golden Rule

 EMILY: The Golden Rule, “Treat others as you wish to be treated” or “Treat thy neighbor as thyself,” can be found in most major religions – in one form of another. What separates Catholicism from the pack, so to speak?

GRANDPA: I rather like it that this main law has universal resonance. It should. If God really is the Creator of the entire universe and of all human beings of every race and region, then it stands to reason that there should be some universal (or almost universal) laws for all. In fact, in the tradition we refer to the “natural law,” which inheres in the nature of all human beings, and is readily grasped by almost all and similarly expressed by a great many.

In general, the Second Vatican Council emphasized the need for Catholics to stress what they had in common with all others. In fact, of course, it is perfectly all right for Catholics to note that they have more in common with some (other Christians, for example) than with others. One can even imagine that the same light and warmth radiate outward from the center ring by ring, to the outermost circle. Some wits even chided that the Council was going too far; did the Council mean to say that we should stress even what we have in common with Satan, and refer to Satan as our “separated brother”?

Of course, to be fair to the truth, one must also grasp quite clearly the differences that separate us. Otherwise, we fail to see reality clearly and fall into a kind of maudlin sentimentality, oblivious to the hard edges of real life. Catholics and Lutherans have in common an extraordinary range of lived truths: faith, the confession of Jesus as Lord and sole source of justification, baptism, the Creed, practical cooperation in the public square, and fellowship in many activities. Still, some important matters separate us, on which in the future we may draw closer together but which cannot be wished away.

Among the Christian churches, Catholicism has formed the oldest and fullest expression of Christian faith and practice. From this older inheritance, various Christian bodies, in this century or in that, in this matter or some other, have broken away. Usually the reason for these separations is their judgment that certain corruptions of the true faith have crept in. They have judged these corruptions to be so serious that they have broken off communion.

In a frank and truthful recognition of these separations, the Catholic Church to this day welcomes those who have broken off communion to participate in the Catholic liturgy – funerals, weddings, special occasions of devotion, even frequent a Mass – but with one proviso. Since they are not in full communion, they should not take the Eucharist, which is a sign of total oneness. That makes the lingering sadness of disunity tangible in practice.

We all ought to be in perfect unity, but we are not. So we need to respect each other, over time find a way to reduce our differences, and work together in many projects, to regain a common effort everywhere we can.

Consciences must remain intact. Cooperative prayers and cooperative actions should be frequent. And sadness should continue at the remaining points of disunity, for the Lord prayed that, “we all might be one.” And we have not achieved that.