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Church Teaching

Theological Anthropology 101: The Church’s View on Gender Ideology

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A massive issue in the Western world at the moment concerns the question of gender. It is becoming increasingly in vogue to say that while your body may demonstrate you…

A massive issue in the Western world at the moment concerns the question of gender. It is becoming increasingly in vogue to say that while your body may demonstrate you are male or female, it is rather your interior experience that truly determines whether you are a man or a woman.

While there isn’t anything specific to this issue within the Catechism of the Catholic Church, a summary of various magisterial documents and theological reflection can give us some insight into how a person of faith should respond when confronted with this increasingly prevalent viewpoint.

While the Church can — and does — hold that the concept of “gender” and one’s biological sex can be distinct, they are by no means separate from one another. The Church teaches that the body is both instructive and integral to our identity as male and female. This means that while some aspects of masculinity and femininity can find roots in culture more so than nature, there are essential qualities possessed specifically by a man and specifically by a woman. Gender, then, is rooted in the giftedness of our body. What it means to be man and woman — as distinct from the biological difference of male and female — is deeply rooted in the gift of the body. To put this more simply: gender is only properly integrated when it takes its starting point in the gift of the body and its sexual difference.

Gender theories that exist today attempt to undermine this basic fact of the unity between gender and biological sexual difference. While the Church and these theories would agree on the distinction between gender and biological sexual difference, that is about the only common thread between the two. The issue arises when these theories attempt to move the distinction into a real separation: bodily sexual difference (male and female) and gender identity (man and woman) are not really related to each other at all. Rather, they will attempt to argue that the interior experience of a person has no real connection with the body. Thus while the body may be classified as male or female — and this can be altered if they see fit to coincide with interior experience — the interior experience is different to the experience of the body and therefore it is acceptable to change the identifying gender.

This is a simple overview of the position. But this is a complex topic with many varying extremes that is rooted in many false ideological positions. For one, it is rooted in a philosophical position known as dualism, which sees the body and the soul as separated and not really integrated with each other. Thus the body becomes a means of the true interior self’s expression rather than integrated with the inner, spiritual self. It is also of interest that the varying trends in gender ideology keep the “traditional” roles of male and female, but simply allow them to be appropriated by people according to experience. In other words, these theories actually depend on the integrated view of gender and biological sexual difference: without these masculine and feminine aspects, there is nothing for gender ideology to root itself in.

This all being said, there is one other aspect that contains a seed of truth when it comes to gender ideology. It is true that some men will integrate some feminine characteristics and vice versa. Some men may be more inclined, for example, toward receptivity than a lot of other men. This, however, does not negate their fundamental masculinity and femininity; rather, they incorporate these masculine and feminine characteristics according to the sexual difference with which they are gifted.

These ideologies have massive impact on culture and personal experience. And that is the nature of ideologies: they are intentionally forceful. It must also be recognized, though, that things such as gender dysphoria are real afflictions that some have to endure.

The roots of our culture’s focus on gender ideology are many, and it can be argued that there are symbolic and cultural influences that have brought about this issue with greater rapidity than ever before. Regardless, those who struggle with gender identity still require the patient love of Christians to help them bear their cross and to encourage them to find the giftedness of being male and female. This is found through their body and sexual difference.

Real freedom can be found in the Church’s teaching on sexual difference and gender. Seeing them as integrated but also malleable in terms of appropriating certain characteristics of the opposite sex, always respects the gifted nature of existence and of the body: who I am is fundamentally received as a gift, not determined by my own whims and desires. Only in the law of the gift is freedom found.

Father Harrison Ayre is a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia. Follow him on Twitter at @FrHarrison. Read more from his Theological Anthropology 101 series here.

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Church Teaching

Introduction to Revelation

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Revelation is the very soul of theology. Without it, theology would be at best an exercise of abstract philosophy, reflecting on a first principle of the created order and without…

Revelation is the very soul of theology. Without it, theology would be at best an exercise of abstract philosophy, reflecting on a first principle of the created order and without knowledge of whether it is personal or relational. In other words, without revelation, theology could only ask what God is but not who God is. It is in our study of who God is, by virtue of God’s self-disclosure to us his creatures, that we are able to have access to the very personal aspect of God and have a relationship with him.

When engaging in the theology of revelation, there are three principles that are at the heart of any effective study: man’s openness to God’s revelation, the objective character of God’s revelation, and the source of revelation.

Man’s Openness

In order for revelation to occur, it needs two actors: someone who reveals and someone to receive the revelation. If man has a heart that is absolutely closed to God’s breaking into our world, then the work of revelation becomes fruitless, since there is no one open to receiving the gift.

This is why revelation will always have a subjective character. By this we do not mean relativism, which is to say that truth is not absolute. But, rather, revelation’s subjectivity means that it is always addressing a subject — namely, all of humanity. God has created us with a desire to be with him because that is at the heart of his original purpose in creation. We are created for God, and that purpose has never left us, even with the fall of Adam and Eve. This means openness to God is built into our very nature. This also means, then, that God’s revelation has to address our humanity in a way we can understand. Thus he will not simply enlighten individual minds, but he will act and speak in history, in ways that can be perceived and understood by man.

The Objective Character

This need to address the human heart also has a flip side, since hearing God requires obedience on our part, necessary to respond to the Word of God in faith. If God is God, then God knows best about what is best for us. It means that God’s revelation — what he reveals about who he is, and what he teaches us about how to live — require an obedience on our part. This revelation is not to be fooled around with or treated flippantly, but rather something to which we humbly submit and pattern our lives around.

The Source of Revelation

The Second Vatican Council’s constitution Dei Verbum (On the Word of God) is perhaps one of the greatest magisterial treasures of the 20th century. It clearly and succinctly places the source of revelation in Jesus Christ, who, as the Word of God, is the one through whom all things are created. He is, therefore, the one in whom all creation finds its source and goal in this Word, which is made incarnate in Jesus Christ. As the fullness of revelation himself, Jesus is the revelation. He is the source — in secret — of God’s revelation to Israel, and he fulfills this covenant in his very person.

This helps us put Scripture and Tradition in their proper order. Tradition is the Word of God handed on in the life of the Church. Tradition hands on from one generation to the next everything that the Apostles first handed on to the Church in those earliest days of preaching and teaching. Tradition is protected by the grace of the Holy Spirit, yet, in order to be communicated as widely as possible, it also gets written down and becomes the inspired texts of the New Testament. The Old Testament is equally important, crucial and inspired because it prepares the way for and points to Jesus. Scripture and Tradition, then, are rooted in the person of Jesus because he is the true revelation to which Scripture and Tradition give witness.

Father Harrison Ayre is a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia. Follow him on Twitter at @FrHarrison. Read more in the “Introduction to Theology” series here.

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Church Teaching

Introduction to Ecclesiology

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One of the more contemporary fields of theological study in the last century has been the discipline of ecclesiology, which studies the Church. This is a vital area of study…

One of the more contemporary fields of theological study in the last century has been the discipline of ecclesiology, which studies the Church. This is a vital area of study because if Jesus intended to found a Church, then we must look to revelation to understand what this Church looks like and what Christ intended.

Ecclesiology, therefore, begins with the basic question: Did Jesus intend to found a Church? The New Testament, as well as early Church history, makes this abundantly clear, and it is relatively well-accepted among both Protestants, Catholics (and other Christians, like the Orthodox, for that matter) that Jesus did, in fact, establish a Church as a body of believers called to gather around his teachings and live them out as a manifestation of the Kingdom of God.

That is where Protestants and Catholics agree. But what the Church looks like — i.e. her external features — is where major disagreement begins. For Catholics, there are essentially two aspects that are necessary for a Church to be a Church. First, it must have a hierarchical structure, centered upon the bishops and pope; second, it must have the sacraments. These are the two essential features for an ecclesial structure to be called a Church.

The hierarchical structure is vital to the Church because without the bishops, there is no Church. The bishop of each diocese is the symbol of unity in his local diocese. Communion among the bishops comes from unity with the pope, as the one who holds the Church’s unity together in communion. The pope is the guarantee that we are all part of the same Church that Christ instituted. The bishops, then, exist as ministers of the Church’s unity. Through them we have apostolic succession, which means that their office is traced back all the way back to Jesus’ apostles. As presiders over the Church’s unity, the bishops oversee things such as the sacraments, which are at the core of the Church’s life. Without the bishops, there are no sacraments, and without both, there is no Church.

The Church’s hierarchy exists to facilitate the unity of the Church, which exists as a communion.This is to say that each member exists and lives for all the other members of the Church. Each of us has a mission in the life of the Church, called to be in service to one another. Episcopal leadership being solely defined by power has no place, since the power attached to the bishop’s office is only given to achieve and guarantee the Church’s unity.

There are other aspects of ecclesiology equally vital: What does it mean to say the Church is “one, holy, catholic,” too? How do we understand, for example, that the Church is holy when sinful at the same time? The Church’s holiness is possible only because her head, Jesus Christ, our Lord, is holy, and we are the members of his body. As sinners, clergy and laity can become holy through Christ alone.

The Church is first and foremost a sacrament — that is, a visible sign that makes effective and visible the invisible reality she signifies. The mission of the whole Church is a mission for the life of the whole world. All those who are baptized into Christ are to make Christ’s salvation not only visible but effective to all the world. This is because the Church is inherently missionary by nature, an idea reiterated time and again by Pope St. Paul VI. It is the task of every single Catholic, then, to be cooperators with Christ’s saving mission, through word and deed. The whole of our lives are to be defined by Christ. That means Christianity cannot be simply a hobby — an addition to one’s life — but a whole way of being. Because the Church is a sacrament, her members – always and everywhere — have the opportunity to be a sign by which the saving actions of Jesus are made effective in the lives of others.

Father Harrison Ayre is a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia. Follow him on Twitter at @FrHarrison. Read more in the “Introduction to Theology” series here.

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Church Teaching

Introduction to Eschatology

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Eschatology is the study of the eschaton, of the last things. It deals with God’s eternity and man’s final relationship with God. And so it pertains to questions concerning heaven,…

Eschatology is the study of the eschaton, of the last things. It deals with God’s eternity and man’s final relationship with God. And so it pertains to questions concerning heaven, hell, purgatory, the particular and final judgments, the resurrection of the body, and the new heavens and the new earth.

One of the most important questions surrounding this discipline is the nature, meaning and purpose of death. While we recognize, through faith, that death occurs because of sin’s reign in the world, certain questions arise. Our theological understanding of the human person tells us that man is an embodied soul. But we also know that, through death, the soul and body are separated. Eschatology considers how this works, such as what happens to the soul, or what is the dignity owed to the body as a preparation for the general resurrection.

Death also brings us to the question around the particular judgment. This is when, in death, we stand before God and our life is made transparent before God. Yet your understanding of the judgment often takes different perspectives. For example, some see the particular judgment as a time of self-awareness of one’s sins and virtues in the light of the truth of God and makes the choice they made with their life: either for God or against God. Others see it more like an impugning of a judgment by God himself. While we have no direct data from revelation to come to a definitive answer, the idea around judgment must always take into account the two aspects revealed in those examples: the objective judgment of God and our subjective acknowledgment of our own sin and virtue.

Our particular judgment leads us to one of three destinations. Two permanent, one is temporary. Concerning Hell, eschatology thinks about questions that come from the depths of our heart: how could a loving God allow people to go to Hell? How populated is Hell? Can one be in Hell temporarily? While this last question is one that arises often, the deposit of faith is clear: Hell is a permanent choice. What is the nature of the punishment? How is it that a loving God upholds a creature in existence who is in Hell? These questions lead to a variety of possible and legitimate answers that help us understand the mystery of the rejection of God’s love.

It is possible to be destined for heaven but still need purification. Catholics believe that sacraments such as baptism, confession and the Eucharist forgive sins to varying degrees. But that is only the forgiveness of the guilt due to sin, it is not the forgiveness of the effects of the sins. This is something we often try to atone for in life through penance, indulgences, fasting, acts of charity, etc. For those who still have not shared in Christ’s sufferings to atone for the effects of those sins, purgatory serves as their place of purifying love. One of the intriguing aspects around the doctrine of purgatory is the fact that we do not have foolproof, direct facts of its existence in revelation, just hints of it, such as the prayers for the dead in the Old Testament (2 Maccabees 12:38-46) or the early practice of praying for the dead in the Christian tradition. One of the most famous examples of this comes from St. Augustine’s Confessions, when Augustine’s mother, St. Monica, asks her son to remember to pray for her when she dies. This makes the study of purgatory all the more important because it helps us understand those vague hints in connection to the mystery of God’s love.

Those who complete their time of purgation, as well as those who do not need it, are admitted to heaven. Heaven is where we are immersed in the mystery of God’s very life, where, in the Son, we worship eternally the Father by the power of the Holy Spirit. Many important questions are raised here: what is time like for the created soul? How does the soul exist apart from the body in heaven? What is the connection between heaven and earth?

Eschatology, when dealing with heaven, must also make us aware that heaven, in a manner of speaking, is not the final, total goal. Rather, and this is the most mysterious element of the discipline because it is the final end of creation, it moves us beyond everything to the coming together of the new heavens and the new earth (cf: Rev 21, 2 Pet 3:13), where man will live with God in the state of a resurrected body like Jesus had. We so often think of heaven as the final goal, and to an extent that is true. But heaven as it is right now is a sort of middle ground waiting for Christ to come again, to bring his general judgment against the whole of earth, and to establish the definitive and final kingdom where God and man dwell together.

Father Harrison Ayre is a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia. Follow him on Twitter at @FrHarrison. Read more in the “Introduction to Theology” series here.

 

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Church Teaching

What is theology?

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This is the first in a seven-part “Introduction to Theology” series from Simply Catholic. Read the entire series here. Often people look at theology as an academic discipline in which…

This is the first in a seven-part “Introduction to Theology” series from Simply Catholic. Read the entire series here.

Often people look at theology as an academic discipline in which people talk about subtle nuances that have little to do with Christian living. Then there are those outside of Christianity who question it as a discipline at all because faith, in the eyes of many, is unreasonable.

But theology is a proper field of study, and one with an ancient tradition. Scripture itself is not only a source of revelation but is a type of theological work. And St. John Henry Newman, in his “The Idea of a University,” presents theology as the hub of all the sciences, because God is at the center of all creation.

What, then, is theology?

Theology is rooted in two Greek words: Theos, meaning God, and logos, meaning reason. Theology is using our reason to study and know more about God and how he has shown himself to the world. There is a discipline known as “natural theology,” whereby we are able to study certain truths about God, including the fact that he has created the world and the fact that God exists. As St. Paul makes clear that God’s existence is revealed through his creation, the truth of natural theology is knowable by reason alone. “Christian theology” is when we use our reason to study and know more about God and how he has shown himself to the world. The object of study is God and his revelation, including how he had revealed himself to Israel and in the definitive revelation in his Son, Jesus Christ, which is especially manifested in Scripture and Tradition. Theology often goes further than this by applying what we know about revelation to new topics and social phenomena. In short, because God touches every facet of our existence, theology deals with the whole of life.

Theology, then, is not a discipline reserved to academics, though the academic realm is absolutely vital to theological knowledge and development. Instead, Jesus redeemed the whole of man, including our brains. In return, he desires that we use them. More importantly, by growing in our knowledge about the Faith through theological study, we grow in love for Jesus Christ. If we love him, we want to know everything we can about him, because love wants to know. By studying and reflecting with our mind on the content of faith, we also fulfill St. Peter’s command: “Always be prepared to give a reason for the hope that is within you” (1 Pet 3:15).

As theology attempts to understand God, it must avoid two equally dangerous extremes: rationalism and fideism. Rationalism says we can know everything by reason alone and do not need revelation or faith to know about God. Fideism says that we do not need to learn and grow in our knowledge of God — rather, that it is just enough to believe. According to the Church’s tradition, both of these approaches are heresies.

Theology makes clear how we need the grace of faith in order to enlighten our minds so that we can come to know God more deeply. In fact, it is by the gift of faith, given through baptism, that we gain access to the very life of God. We can know some basic things about God: that he exists, that he is one, infinite, omnipotent, etc. But to know that God is Trinity is something reason cannot reach on its own. In order for reason to be open to this mystery, it needs the aid of faith and revelation.

Theology, then, is really an exercise of faith and reason at the same time. As such, we can see how we must be open to God and his revelation and receive what he has revealed in humility so that God can be heard. By hearing God speak, we then take time, like Mary, to ponder these things in our hearts so that we may be able to understand the meaning and substance of the words and events of salvation history, Scripture, Tradition and revelation. This is an act of theologizing. And this rational reflection — of asking questions, of wanting to probe the mysteries of faith — is by no means a worthless exercise. It is, in fact, the highest and most important thing we can do, because it is an act of contemplation that builds up our communion with God and with one other.

Father Harrison Ayre is a priest of the Diocese of Victoria, British Columbia. Follow him on Twitter at @FrHarrison.

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Church Teaching

Introduction To Canon Law

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Canon law has been in the news quite a bit recently. Normally, canon law isn’t in the spotlight; however, it effects every Catholic whether they know it or not. Some…

Canon law has been in the news quite a bit recently. Normally, canon law isn’t in the spotlight; however, it effects every Catholic whether they know it or not.

Some comments about canon law can be rather negative. Unfortunately, the law is seen by many as being opposed to mercy. This is actually not the case. Justice and mercy are always hand in hand. We need both.

The Purpose of Law

So what is canon law all about? Put simply, canon law is how the Church organizes and governs herself. The word “canon” basically means rule. There are about 1.3 billion Catholics in the world, and the Church administrates a large collection of institutions. Therefore, the Church needs an organizational structure to carry out its office of governance and its saving mission. Every society needs laws — and so does the Church. There is an old saying: ubi societas ibi lex (“where there is a society there is law”). Imagine driving on the highway where there are no rules of the road? It would ultimately lead to disaster.

Canon law deals with all the issues that any legal system does — for example, rights, property issues, procedures, administration, personnel, crimes and trials. It also does some things that civil law cannot, such as laws regarding sacraments, sacred places and magisterial teachings.

The Church’s laws have developed greatly over its 2,000-year history. Beginning in the New Testament, we see that there are procedures for replacing an apostle (see Acts 1:15-26); also, what to do when there are disputes in the Church (Mt 18:15-20). As time went on there were various councils that legislated on issues of concern. Popes would issue decretals to settle disputes or enforce discipline. Courts were established to hear cases and issue decisions. In addition, they used procedures adapted from Roman law.

Eventually, these disparate laws and decretals were collected into what became known as canon law. In 1917, there was a major reform and the law was codified, published as the first Code of Canon Law. After the Second Vatican Council there was a revision, and the 1983 Code of Canon Law was issued for Latin-rite (often referenced as Roman-rite) Catholics by Pope St. John Paul II. Later, in 1990, a separate code was issued for the Eastern Catholic Churches. While not all of the Church’s laws are in the code, it is the place to start.

Since it affects most Catholics in America, let us consider the Roman-rite code. It is organized into seven books. A brief survey of the code will provide a general idea of what it covers.

A Walk Through the Code

There are several Books in the code as follows:

Book I is called General Norms and is the backbone of the code. While it might not seem exciting, it informs the rest of the code, which cannot be understood without it. Book I deals with the various kinds of laws in the Church, how they are issued, who they pertain to, and how they are enforced. There are canons regarding juridic persons — things like your diocese or parish. Also there are canons on the officers who serve the Church. Some of these canons may seem like minor details, but the code is a complex thing. If one part of your car’s engine fails, even if it is just a small screw, it can cause the whole thing to malfunction. It is the same with the Code of Canon Law.

Book II is about the People of God. It sets out the obligations and rights of the lay faithful and clergy. If you want to know what rights you have in the Church, this is the book where you will find them. In addition, it contains the hierarchical constitution of the Church including the Pope, dioceses and religious orders. It shows how they are to be organized and governed.

Book III is on The Teaching Function of the Church. This book covers preaching, catechesis, missions and education. This book tells us what levels of authority there are for Church teachings. It also has rules for educational institutions, including Catholic universities.

Book IV is about The Sanctifying Function of the Church. This pertains to the sacraments. It tells us who can receive them, administer them and what is required for their validity. The section on matrimony is of particular interest since the recent synods on the family. It defines marriage and its valid celebration, and gives the legal reasons why a marriage may be ruled invalid in an annulment process. This book also covers other liturgical acts such as funerals. In addition, it contains regulations for churches, shrines and other places of worship.

Book V covers The Temporal Goods of the Church. This is basically the Church’s property law. It gives regulations on how to properly administer the Church’s property and finances. Also, it includes rules on contracts and wills.

Book VI is on Sanctions in the Church. This is the Church’s criminal law. It sets out the authority the Church has to punish crimes, who can be punished, what crimes may be punished, and what the penalties are for those crimes. It may surprise many people to find this in the Code of Canon Law, but every institution has disciplinary regulations. However, in our law, the goals are to repair scandal, restore justice and reform the offender. So there is more to it than simply punishing crime.

Book VII is about Processes. This book covers trials, their procedures, officers of the court, how to organize courts, the rights of the parties and appeals. Those who watch “Law & Order” on television would find Church trials not nearly as exciting. Normally, cases are handled in a documentary way. Rarely do the parties meet each other in an open court. This may strike us as odd, but, in fact, it is the norm in many judicial systems influenced by Roman law in other parts of the world.

In total, there are 1,752 canons in the code, so to cover them all would require a lengthy commentary. In fact, there are a variety of commentaries and other books that are helpful in understanding canon law.

Canon law includes both divine law and ecclesiastical law. Divine law is unchangeable and is applicable to every human being — for example, the law against murder. Ecclesiastical law is rooted in Church law and is not infallible, although it is authoritative — for example, the laws regarding fast and abstinence. Our system of law is human and not perfect.

Justice and Mercy

As mentioned earlier, often in our minds we think of law and mercy as being opposed. Even some priests do not see the law as being “pastoral.” However, the law is about order and justice. These are necessary if there is to be mercy.

Justice is defined as giving and receiving one’s due. If we are wronged, we desire justice. If someone hits your car in the parking lot, you will want their insurance to pay for the accident. Justice involves moral obligations and responsibilities.

The law is concerned with the common good. Of course, there are disputes about what the common good is, and that is where the law comes in, to settle the issue fairly. The Church is concerned with spiritual realities, but these are lived out in the material world. We are not divorced from this world. This is where we must live out the demands of the Gospel. These include justice for the poor, oppressed and others who cannot defend their own rights. Therefore, mercy, in fact, includes justice rather than opposing it.

For us to show mercy to others means ensuring that their rights are respected and upheld. It also means that they have the right to the true teachings of the Church, that the sacraments will be validly administered, that the finances will be handled properly, that those who injure others will be restrained and punished and that everyone will receive the due process of law. All of these things are part of our canon law. They are concrete ways in which mercy is accomplished in the Church.

In the bull of indiction by which he opened the Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae Vultus, Pope Francis said: “It would not be out of place at this point to recall the relationship between justice and mercy. These are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love” (No. 20). He added, a little bit later: “Mercy is not opposed to justice but rather expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert and believe.… God’s justice is His mercy given to everyone as a grace that flows from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Thus the Cross of Christ is God’s judgment on all of us and on the whole world, because through it He offers us the certitude of love and new life” (No. 21). Pope Francis points out that Jesus Christ is to be at the center of all that canon law aims to accomplish.

Ultimately, canon law is at the service of the Church. It exists to assist the Church in its mission to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to the world. The last canon in the code states clearly that the purpose of the law — indeed, the highest law — is the salvation of souls. That makes canon law a true work of mercy.

The Very Rev. James Goodwin, J.C.L., is a graduate of The Catholic University of America and judicial vicar of the Diocese of Fargo, North Dakota.

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