Came across a very strong post on X this morning from someone whose posts I usually like very much. His post is below, followed by a few thoughts of my own.
Scripture and Catholic thought (doctrine, philosophy) have been part of my life-experience from an early age. “ModernBoethius” post made me recall moments as a young teenager when I was perplexed by some things the Church teaches. One example (I could give a few) of a point of confusion for me was the Church’s teaching on contraception, especially condoms.
I didn’t understand why the Church’s teaching was in such contrast to the “wisdom” of the secular hive mind. The Church’s teaching on some things just didn’t make sense to me. “But if the Church teaches it,” I thought to myself, “it must be the truth.”
Over time truth and wisdom of the teachings of the Church that had confused me gradually came to light. But only because I faced this confusion with faith and not with any trust in my own reason and understanding. It was blind faith, in a way because I wasn’t very well read at the time, I hadn’t studied any theology, and I had a limited perspective on life. So I had almost no reason to trust the Church’s teachings other than the fact that it was the Church that Jesus established, and so it must teach what’s true. That’s it! My faith in the Church came out of my faith in Jesus Christ.
Even mature and experienced Catholics really need to remember this. Because we are all faced with these trust issues, no matter how developed our faith is, or how educated or experienced we are in it all. We all have these conflicts of faith and reason. We have to remember to maintain a spirit of humility and docility in those moments. Without trusting our dimmed and darkened intellects have have to live and act in the light of faith. It’s why Jesus was sometimes ambiguous when responding to questions about who he really was. It’s why some miracles were to be kept secret. It’s why some things were shared with the Apostles, and no one else. God wants us to exercise faith. Faith has great eternal value. I think of it as a sort of celestial currency.
Have faith in God and in his Church. Don’t trust yourself.
