The Intersection of Tradition and Change in Catholicism

“He who marries the spirit of the times will soon find himself a widower.” — G.K. Chesterton.

Everything changes. Empires rise and fall. People come and go. Fades vanish as quickly as they appear. What about Catholicism? Are the teachings of the Catholic Church as fixed as the stars, or are they subject to the change that engulfs our lives?

A Changing Church?

It can be reasonably argued that the Catholic Church is a result of change. While the Church (or at least the earthly Church) was founded by the incarnate God some two thousand years ago, it would be inaccurate to suggest that the teachings of Christ came out of nowhere.

Much of Christ’s teaching was based on the Old Testament: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have come not to abolish but to fulfill.” The “law” spoken of is the Torah.

Even more so, the Bible evidences that Christ changed—one may say lifted up—various teachings associated with the Old Testament. In Matthew’s Gospel, Christ departs from Moses’ teaching regarding divorce. (See Matthew 19:8). Another example involves adultery. God commanded the Israelites to put to death anyone caught in the act of adultery (see Leviticus 20:10). However, Christ saves a woman from being stoned for adultery (see John 8:7).

All of this is to say nothing of the change wrought by the councils of the Church.

Church Councils

In the preceding two thousand years, the Catholic Church has convened some twenty-one ecumenical councils. Without fail, all of these councils sought to clarify and occasionally condemn various teachings.

In the first Nicean council, the Church condemned Arianism, defined the consubstantiality of the Father and the Son, fixed the date for Easter, and began the formulation of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

In the following years, the Catholic Church convened councils that condemned Macedonianism, Nestorianism, and Pelagianism, ordered the annual reception of penance and the Eucharist, and developed the term “transubstantiation” to explain the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Suffice it to say that the teachings of the Catholic Church have evolved and been refined. This leads to two questions. First, are the teachings of Catholicism and God malleable and, therefore, subject to change? Second, by what authority does the Church make such changes or refinements as one sees in the ecumenical councils?

Perennial Truth

The Bible is composed of seventy-three books. One approach to reading Scripture is to read all the books in the light of the last book, Revelation. This is known as the canonical method of interpretation.

One advantage of using the canonical method is that it allows the reader to apprehend a kind of evolution or refinement of divine pedagogy—an increase, if you will, of the level of sophistication. Divine pedagogy is intimately connected to divine revelation or how God chooses to reveal Himself to human beings. Specifically, divine pedagogy refers to the manner in which God teaches humanity.

We saw above an example of this refinement concerning the question of divorce. Another example involves ritual sacrifice. A common practice in the ancient world was human sacrifice to appease the gods. Particularly in the Old Testament, one discerns a weaning off or gradual move away from human sacrifice. This involved replacing human sacrifice with animal sacrifice and, eventually, the sacrificing of plants or symbols. (See Isaiah 1:11).

The point is that the refinement or evolution in divine pedagogy speaks not to changes in God but rather an effort to “soften the hearts” of human beings. We similarly teach each other. One does not learn to read by studying Shakespeare before learning the alphabet.

If God is teaching certain perennial and objective truths, does the Catholic Church have a right to alter that teaching?

The Church As The Body Of Christ

The answer is no. However, the Catholic Church is the mystical body of Christ and, like all bodies, grows and adapts. This is what one sees when looking at Catholic doctrine.

The numinous truths are always true and unchanging. However, how those truths are understood and presented can and does change. Was God always three divine persons and one divine nature? Yes. Has how theology understood and developed the doctrine of the Holy Trinity changed over time? Without question.

The concept of an unchanging Catholic Church will make many modern people uncomfortable. We live in a time that greatly emphasizes personal freedom and subjective truth. Catholics have not escaped this trend. One way in which this phenomenon is manifested is called cafeteria Catholicism.

The Cafeteria Catholic

The term cafeteria Catholic refers to individual Catholics who selectively decide what teachings of the Church they accept and what teachings they reject.

Examples of Catholics deciding for themselves what teachings to accept and what teachings to reject include matters such as abortion and euthanasia. Euthanasia is widely defined as permitting or even killing an individual with a serious (usually fatal) disease or injury. This is done ostensibly to relieve suffering. Even though the Catholic Church teaches that euthanasia is morally wrong and contrary to the love of God, seventy percent of Catholics think euthanasia should be allowed (according to a study conducted by Dr. Ryan Burge at Eastern Illinois University).

In cafeteria Catholicism, one finds the echo of original sin. At a theological level, original sin involves human beings arrogating for themselves that which belongs to God alone (i.e., objective morality). Similarly, cafeteria Catholics decide for themselves which teachings of the Catholic Church (which is informed by the Holy Spirit) they wish to adhere to.

Conclusion

I will conclude by quoting an excellent explanation of the dynamic between change and the objective truth that God teaches. It comes from the Second Vatican Council.

“Sacred tradition and Sacred Scripture form one sacred deposit of the word of God, committed to the Church. Holding fast to this deposit, the entire holy people united with their shepherds remain always steadfast in the teaching of the Apostles, in the common life, in the breaking of the bread, and in prayers (see Acts 2), so that holding to, practicing and professing the heritage of the faith, it becomes on the part of the bishops and faithful a single common effort. 

But the task of authentically interpreting the word of God, whether written or handed on, has been entrusted exclusively to the living teaching office of the Church, whose authority is exercised in the name of Jesus Christ. This teaching office is not above the word of God but serves it, teaching only what has been handed on, listening to it devoutly, guarding it scrupulously, and explaining it faithfully in accord with a divine commission and with the help of the Holy Spirit, it draws from this one deposit of faith everything which it presents for belief as divinely revealed.”

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