I don’t think it is ever wrong to use the intellect to understand the faith; this is always good.
By reason we can know that the Catholic Church is the Church of Christ Jesus, we can see this evidenced in Apostolic Succession from the first Apostles in an unbroken line of Pope’s and Bishops. This isn’t something we muse upon and try to understand, this is something that is clearly evident and traceable.
Nothing has changed in that line, what was held fast then, is held fast now. It wasn’t always documented, it wasn’t always held as solemn dogma or doctrine, but it was always held fast.
For example: contraception has always been held fast in unbroken succession from Judaism. The seed was not to be spent outside of the womb, this has followed into the modern era we now live in and has been developed in doctrine to deal with the ever increasing and complex ideaologies of our times that are contrary to the sacredness of human life and the sacredness of the sexual act between man and wife and the sacredness of the human body.
No we don’t have to wash before we go up to the ‘Temple’, the Church, but we know washing to be a good rule of thumb to stay clean and freer from disease and have clean mouths and hands to receive our Lord in Holy Communion. We also know the symbolism of washing to keep our souls clean by the Sacrament of Reconciliaton where we confess. Jesus did not take away the old law, but developed it yet further into the new covenant. God has always dealt with us in baby steps even from the very beginning.
What is expected of us is obedience. We are not expected to have a totally blind faith, though by the nature of faith we do not go by sight, but by grace. So we are obedient by God’s grace to the Church but we strive to ‘know’ so that we may better love and serve God, therefore we are to seek to form our conscience.
Now it is true I cannot be anyone else’s conscience and no-one can be my conscience, if we attempt to do this we are no better than the poor Pharisees who set up hard burdens no man can carry, but with God’s grace men can carry hard burdens and they do this by following their conscience.
If a man is to act contrary to his conscience then he damns himself, it states so in the Catechism. However a man is to subject his conscience to the Church and to seek to form it within Her precepts, dogma and doctrine.
We are not to be legalistic Pharisees to each other. We are to simply state the Truth, by action and sometimes words and in doing so call each other’s conscience to develop and form, but we do this kindly and mercifully to each other recognising Jesus within each other and knowing we all are sinners and not perfect and knowing we do not know each other’s souls nor circumstances, however we are on the upward calling from God to Heaven.
Can a man condemn a starving poor man for stealing a loaf of bread so that he might live and feed his children who are starving? I don’t think so, I’d ask why none of you gave that man a loaf of bread!!!
It is the Holy Spirit, sorely underestimated and sorely neglected by Christians that convicts men’s conscience and whilst we might strive to convert each other inside and outside of faith we must realise that this work to convict the souls and consciences of men is the work of the Holy Spirit, who protects the Truth and guides the Church, since the Pentecost when the first Father’s the Apostles recieved Him, and within the Church the Truth is upheld and preached to ends the ends of the earth infallibly because the Holy Spirit is not flawed as He is God and does not make mistakes or errors.
Who among us walked into the Church or was born into the faith perfect? None of us. We are all in formation, formation of conscience and formation of soul. Then who among us can be harsh to each other?
Rather pray for each other that each man, woman and child according to their station in life may draw close to Christ Jesus and their measure may be increase, that we may not judge each other, but be merciful and pray always for each other and live according to our measure.
In the Living Prayer of my life
I’m asking too… still learning and trying to figure all of this out and I wade thru our RCIA classes. 