What does it mean to submit to Church teaching?

[Racer_X]

I can’t think of any belief peculiar to Catholic teaching which I accept solely because the Church teaches it and against my own reason. There are a few–like the perpetual virginity of Mary–that have no evidence *against *and which apart from the Church I would have no independent conclusion of my own, so it is not much of a leap to assent to them. My own reason does not lead me to the conclusions of these doctrines, but neither is my reason *against *them.

But suppose that there is a Church teaching that my reason does cry out against? I will grant that at the least my obedience to the Church should keep me silent on the matter. But what about my remaining personal dilemma? Suppose I say to myself, “My own reason–weighing all the knowledge on the matter available and following to the logical conclusion–leads me to conclude X even though the Church teaches Y. Yet I also know the Church is always right, so I ‘affirm’ Y in spite of my own conclusion of X.” In what sense can it be said that I ***believe ***Y to be true? Is it not rather the case that I am simply stating that Y is true–even if only silently to myself–in *spite of *my belief in X? Is this not in reality just lying.

What should one do in such a position? It is essentially Luther’s position. Even if Luther had remained silent, what could he do about his own beliefs?

Do we choose what to believe? Can we honestly reject what our own minds have concluded?

On the other hand, if the Church teaches Y and the Church teaches correctly, then my basis for believing X is faulty. In principle, X should be able to be shown to be false and I would therefore be genuinely convinced of Y. But we know in practice that something called “faith” has to be called upon. The more I think about it, the less I understand what “faith” is.

I have purposely avoided mentioning any particular belief in question. If I did, the thread would go off on a tangent discussing whether that particular belief is true or not.

 

[IoA]

I too haven’t found anything that I can blatantly disagree with the Church on. Perhaps that’s because everything within the Faith is so firmly rooted in reason. Without reason affirming a particular idea, the Church never would have ratified the idea to begin with. Still, the theoretical question here is an interesting one.

I think that your obedience is enough. Even if you don’t agree or can’t comprehend why the Church holds a certain belief, your deferrance to the Church is what counts in the end. Do I see it as lying to yourself in any form? Not at all, because it’s a fantastic display of humility and faith.

I think your original post answered the faith question; by believing in Jesus and the fact that the Church is Jesus’ Bride, you allow for the possibility that you’d still bow to an idea you disagreed with. Without a firmly rooted faith in the Church and in Christ, how else would you be willing to yield? Of course, Christ and Church can be supported through reason, yet faith is interconnected with reason from the start; despite the “gains” made via the Great un-Enlightenment, the two can never really be divorced.

 

[Servulus]

We know that, in matters of faith and morals, definitive Church teaching is infallible. It is not in error because it cannot be in error. Did not our Lord say to the Apostles, “Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven”? (MT 18:18)

As individual members of the Body of Christ, we do not have that gift. We can err in analyzing an issue and come to a wrong conclusion. So when we have a situation in which what we hold to be an inerrant teaching conflicts with our perspective, the only rational conclusion can be that our perspective is somehow skewed.

Fortunately, when a magisterial document is issued promulgating or explaining an aspect of our Faith, the Church provides us with a thorough examination and explanation of the issues involved. It is then our responsibility to apply ourselves diligently to understanding the teaching involved.

One helpful idea to keep in mind is that a thousand questions don’t make a single doubt. Our duty is to will to assent to all that the Church teaches and to do our best to understand those teachings, praying that God will supply what is lacking in our understanding.

 

[MariaG]

I tell people that just because you or I do not agree with the church, that does not mean they are not right.

I have to believe that my acceptance of the church’s authority over me is enough, As long as I work towards understanding and accepting the teachings of the church. But I also differenciate between that which is dogma and that which is practice. If it is a practice, like married priests, I sincerely can pray for change of the Church’s mind, and not my own!
God Bless

 

[JimG]

You can simply say the Act of Faith:
“O God, I firmly believe all that You have revealed, and all that the Catholic Church teaches, because you have revealed it. Amen.”

I personally have never found anything in Catholic doctrine which is contrary to reason. Even if I thought I did, my position would be that I am but one person, of limited resources; while the Church is a divine institution, 2000 years old, guaranteed by Christ. It’s doctrines have been believed from the beginning, and further reasoned out, explicated, and refined by many over the course of centuries.

JimG