MissMichal is quite right. We must always keep in mind that love and kindness are also part of the tradition. I think that the Holy Father’s title for his latest encyclical speaks to this forum. Charity and truth are inseparable. Charity does not mean that we also say the nice thing that another person wants to hear. But it does mean that when we say what we believe to be truth we deliver the message without a blow to the face of the other person.
When we treat another person harshly or condemn them or put them on trial, because of their ideas, we are no longer preaching the Gospel. We are proselytizing. Catholics don’t proselytize. Catholics preach by word and deed. We speak about issues, not about people. When we do speak about people, we speak about observable behaviors, not about their soul or their motives. Unless someone shares their motive with us, we are just speculating. Speculation sometimes opens up Pandora’s Box.
Logically speaking, labels such as: immature, heretic, modernist, orthodox, heterodox and others like these, do not mean the same thing to everyone. Unless two people are in the same space, where they can share the nuances of these words, they are best left out of printed language. They only serve to confuse matters more than they clarify.
I had a professor in the seminary who always said that the best form of pastoral writing was to describe what you were talking about using very concrete language so that the other person could get a mental image. I have found that to be very true.
Another behavior that often gets in the way of the discussion and annoys people is the incorrect use of terms. For example, when speaking about the mass, let’s just call the forms what the Holy Father calls them: two forms of the Latin Rite; EF and OF. The TLM and NO are not the language of the Church. The Liturgical Commission does not use those terms. Nor does it call the EF and OF rites. They are forms of one rite.
Whether we like something or not, it makes for easier dialogue to use the language of the Church, because everyone knows what we’re talking about and it may reduce friction and debates over single words.
I’m saying this, because after several years around here, I often see very nice people arguing and getting ugly over a word. I’m often wondering if they are sharing the same meaning.
Finally, if we want the world to take our Catholic presence seriously, we must stand together with each other, the bishops and the Holy Father. The world has to know that Catholics may not agree on everything, but that we are working toward consensus. It must also know that we are behind our bishops and pope, even when we disagree. Let us not give food to those who are looking for an excuse to minimize the Catholic presence in the world. The more offensive we get toward each other and our leaders, the less credible we become. I believe one reason that many non Catholics honor Mother Teresa was her heroic support and trust in bishops and the Holy Father, especially Jon Paul II, besides her work of charity. She was consistent in word and deed. This made her very credible.
Fraternally,
Br. JR, OSF
