I always teach our novices something that you may find useful. In fact, we were discussing this in last week’s lesson.
I was explaining how we live in a world of “trust and verify”. But this is not evangelical. I was explaining that in the life of faith, the burden of proof is not on the teacher, but on the student. It’s not on the speaker but on the receiver.
This goofy custom that you often find on forums where people want you to give them document, page, parr and art is silly. As we go through life on the journey of faith, we learn many things. We see and hear many things and we record them in our memory banks. Further down the road, we find ourselves sharing what we have gathered along the way. This is how tradition works. It was this way from before the first book of the bible was written to today.
If someone wants to know more about what I say, they can certainly ask me where I got that information. If have the resource handy, it is charitable to share it. If I don’t remember where I picked it up or if it’s something that someone taught me and I never looked it up, then I don’t have a source. However, that does not make my statement unreliable. It is the burden of the one who believes that the statement is unreliable to prove it.
These two novices just received the habit on August 14th. They’re just starting their formal studies. I was trying to establish that we would be teaching them any things, but we cannot spend the time and energy proving everything we say by digging up ancient documents or things that are archived in Assisi, Rome, or some library somewhere and are not readily available. You either trust or you do the leg work for yourself; but don’t impose on the other person. The problem does not belong to the other person. It is not the other person who doubts. It is you. Therefore, since you have the need to satisfy your doubt, you have the responsibility to do the necessary work.
We have taken something from the world of politics “trust and verify” and over generalized it. We’re trying to use it in the world of faith. The world of faith does not operate that way. Theologians don’t get up in a classroom and give references during their lectures. They would never get done. The theology student has to go find the information himself. The preacher does not give footnotes and bibliography when preaching a retreat or mission. He speaks. The person listening takes it, leaves it or does the research for himself. The Fathers of the Church never gave footnotes. They simply taught and wrote what had been handed to them via oral tradition.
In other words, we must be careful not to stifle oral tradition. Oral tradition is part of every culture and the Church is on exception. It’s a beautiful part of culture. It’s much more beautiful when to people interact then when someone slips a document under your nose and says, “Here, read this.” That’s pretty cold. Lawyers do that, not evangelists.