The following comes from a September 8 OC Catholic article by Larry Urish:
For centuries, theologians have maintained that pure, absolute conviction, the total absence of doubt in religious and spiritual matters, is anything but a sign of faith. Furthermore, doubt itself may be essential to a life of Christian faith.
Still, if God is love, then why is there so much suffering in the world? Why am I constantly in debt if God wants me to prosper financially? If God wants me to be happy, then why did my spouse leave me? You may have asked questions such as these and either shared them with others or kept them hidden deeply inside.
“Doubt can be good,” says Father Robert Spitzer, former president of Gonzaga University and president of the Magis Center and the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership. “First of all, it drives people to ask questions and to seek evidence. If doubt leads people to make real intellectual inquiries, that’s terrific. If someone with doubt looks for and finds strong evidence, [his or her] faith will be enhanced. In this case, doubt is productive.”
Rev. Msgr. Arthur Holquin, episcopal vicar for Divine Worship at the Diocese of Orange and pastor emeritus of Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, brings up the story of Doubting Thomas. “Sometimes he is viewed in a pejorative sense because he doubted the message of his brothers, who announced that ‘The Lord has been raised!’ Thomas’ doubt points to the very human tendency to seek certitude in life.”
This hesitation to trust in blind faith, Msgr. Holquin says, has a strong upside: It compels efforts that ultimately strengthen faith.
“As St. Anselm put it many years ago,” he says, “theology is really ‘faith seeking understanding.’ It is precisely this ‘seeking understanding’ that … can be the catalyst for exploring, pondering and even wrestling with realities of faith, enabling us to arrive at newer insights and clarity as to what it is we believe and why we believe it.”
The path of doubt may be wrought with pain and darkness. A faithful Christian, for example, may believe that he has the core messages of God, Jesus and Christianity figured out. He has, through God and Jesus, all of the answers.
Then something happens in his life, a relatively inconsequential event or a tragic catastrophe, that undermines his “perfect” understanding of God. Doubt enters the picture, and since God is perfect, the Christian believes he must be flawed. So he tries to flee from doubt – as quickly as possible. After all, perfect faith is the absence of doubt, right?
Wrong. His agonizing doubt, allegorically referred to as the “dark night of the soul,” is a sign that his once-ironclad belief in all things spiritual is finally dying.
If this uncertain Christian were to take his angst to a priest, he would be counseled to embrace his doubt, to actually welcome it as a gift, difficult though that would be. He’d be told that his doubt would spur him to move along his path, even if it seems as though he’s lost that path entirely. That’s good, since he’s no longer stuck in certainty.
A priest for 42 years, Msgr. Holquin always shares an essential fact to those dealing with doubt: They are not alone. “One of the first things I try to do is assure them that Christians down through the centuries have wrestled with such feelings. They’re in good company! I help them to realize that doubting is not the same as denying one’s faith; it is not ‘unbelief.’
Sometimes the answer simply involves letting go.
“I like to convey that doubts in our life of faith can, more often than not, be the opportunity for deeper faith, hope and love if we are open to letting the Holy Spirit guide us through these moments. Questioning our faith can lead to deeper insights into the truth of what it is we believe about God and His vocation of holiness for each one of us.”
Don’t tell pharisaical pious pope jon that doubt can be good. According to him nothing but unwavering, unhesitating, unquestioning, unthinking obedience to even the most dubious of clerical statements is necessary, otherwise you are a heretic who needs his merciful chastisement in order to bring you back into the fold.
There are many paths to true faith and a simple cure to doubt; remember Fatima.
In 2014, the US bishops became very concerned about the reach of personal web logs, “blogs”, and websites independent of their control, and their impact. It was then when they issued their “Guidelines on Social Media.”
Coming out of this series of discussions, whether directly or of their own initiative, individuals like jon, seeking recognition from higher-ups in the dioceses where they work, began to act as agents to demonize certain individuals who post on sites, and especially to disrupt the independent lines of communication that the Faithful were establishing—a big threat to chancery offices. Free and independent sharing of ideas is very dangerous.
You can usually tell who the “agents” are: they don’t contribute anything substantive to the discussion; they don’t have the right facts, often; they aren’t well read (very dangerous to read sources other than the diocese-approved book or site lists); and they have the same talking points.
Some of those talking points include: personally attack the blogger, poster or website editor; call them “dissenters”; post voluminously and tie up their site, preventing rational exchange among other frequenters of the site; accuse them of trying to hurt P. Francis (always “gold”); and (this is the tell-tale mark) cite certain canons, esp. C. 1373, “inciting hatred or animosity” against a prelate or the pontiff. This last talking…
This last talking point has been discussed at seminars, even telling people to get the names of individuals and report them to chancery offices to try to get some weird canonical action against them. It is a tell-tale sign of the “agents”.
Very interesting, Daniel!
Interesting indeed. I responded below.
Who cares.
The truth will always out, if so.
Thank you CCD for providing a forum for the truth. Thank you, Daniel for educating the faithful. The bullies of each diocese can punish a good priest, eliminate faithful seminarian candidates, eliminate good religion teachers and good books. but they cannot as easily bully the blogs. Father John Hardon SJ orchestrated and helped hundreds of Catholics receive the sacrament of Confirmation in Mexico. Father Hardon SJ knew that the catechesis programs were dangerous to souls and to the faith. Father Hardon SJ was right.
continued…
continued… Two examples: #1 I was a sponsor for a high school Confirmation student. The teacher, an ex-nun, spent the class, mocking men, and Papal authority plus teaching the high school students to ignore the Magisterial Teachings. #2 My son’s friend was asked to play a crossword game in his Confirmation class.
continued…..
continued…The male teacher had printed a sheet out and the students had to fill in the suggestive crossword puzzle around the word masturbation. This young 13 year old boy felt very uncomfortable so his mother pulled him from the class. Many families from L.A., Orange County, San Diego, and across the country, traveled to Mexico to avoid these types of terrible yet common scenarios Catholic families benefited from this great help from Father HardonSJ and the generous bishops in Mexico. May God eternally reward these holy priests!
cont. Cardinal Mahony was furious when he found out about Catholics going to Mexico and he demanded to know the names of every family. Cardinal Mahony was not concerned about the reasons why Catholics were fleeing or why Catholics felt the need to flee. A faithful priest advised the person, (who was being asked in a certified letter by Cardinal Mahony to list of the names of each family who went to Mexico) to ask Cardinal Mahony if he (Cardinal Mahony) could list the name, of every individual in heaven, and if he could name them all, then he could have the names of the families who went to Mexico.
continued …..
continued.. Another, newly promoted Monsignor, then telephoned the person who was being asked for the list and this Monsignor lied about his name and pretended to be a parent asking questions about the Confirmations. This Monsignor had no clue that his entire (real) name showed up on the phone register while he was pretending to be an inquiring parent. No wonder people are leaving the faith. The arrogance and deception is staggering. This very same Monsignor humiliated an attorney for kneeling down to receive Holy Communion. It was the only the second time this (new convert) attorney had received Communion.
continued…
continued…The attorney had excitedly gone on his lunch hour to attend a weekday Mass. How was he treated for this? He was treated like dirt! This brand new convert was mortified, embarrassed, plus publicly humiliated when the Monsignor yelled at him saying, “GET UP! Who taught you to do that! What parish do you belong to? Is this the New Christ Cathedral Evangelization technique? No wonder the young walk out! So it is not at all surprising, that this very same individual helped with the cold and sterile looking interior of the Crystal Cathedral.
continued…
continued… What chance does a cold exterior Catholic Cathedral have when those who are charged with the privilege of selecting it’s interior beauty are revolted, and repulsed, at the sight of someone, (a new convert, receiving for the just the second time) kneeling down to receive Holy Communion? So, yes, indeed, thank you Daniel in Danville for your most informative posts. AND may God bless California Catholic Daily for being a much needed forum for the faithful.
Wow. So Catherine, this ex-nun “spent the class, mocking men, and Papal authority plus teaching the high school students to ignore the Magisterial Teachings”?? I say, isn’t that precisely what some folks here do with their comments, including perhaps yourself? Remove whatever plank is in your eye first before removing the speck in another person’s eye.
Doubt is always something that human beings will have to go through. Faith is a gift of God. We cannot see God, and so He Himself has to help us, by giving us this precious gift! Those who have true faith, do not have it from a viewpoint of clever intellectual arguments— but of personal experience in prayer, in which God has communicated something special to that person. Intellectual arguments are a bunch of “baloney,” next to that!
Well said, Linda Marie. If doubt spurs us to seek God earnestly, we have the promise that He will “draw nigh unto us,” James 4:8.
Daniel – Does this include the ‘anonymous’ (Paid?) radical homosex Trolls who constantly fill such forums with their incessant mau mauing?
Navy chaplain cleared of religious intolerance
https://www.onenewsnow.com/national-security/2016/09/12/navy-chaplain-cleared-of-religious-intolerance?
Recently retired Navy chaplain insists that he has no regrets for taking a stand in defense of his religious expression – one that threatened his career in the United States Navy.
“Because of the change of climate and policies and procedures in the Navy – with ‘don’t ask don’t tell’ being lifted and transgender [policies] and all the things that we’re doing – which I personally see as a disservice to military men and women because the military is not a social experimentation location –
– he gave a biblical worldview to an officer who he did not know was homosexual.
“I came…
Folks, Daniel’s and Sawyer’s comments above prove that I live rent-free in these peoples’ brains. Even before I have posted a comment, my name is already mentioned. I count this as an achievement. A few comments:
1) These folks just can’t fathom that an ordinary Catholic such as myself can spot right away their dissent and disobedience and actually CALL THEM ON IT! They are flabbergasted that ordinary Catholics–not someone working for a “diocese” or something like that– have found their way here and can quote chapter and verse of Church documents to buttress our point in order to discount theirs! So they have to come up with a scenario that I am an “agent.” Hilarious. MY RESPONSE: Folks, there are many intelligent…
Catholics out there who love the Church and all her sacraments and we will not sit here idle while a bunch of disobedient folks trash our anointed shepherds and sacraments.
2) I fully expected this negative reaction to my comments, because I am putting a damper on their favorite pastime which is to trash and complain about the legitimate clergy of the Church, Pope Francis, denigrating the OF and Vatican II. These disobedient folks have sadly made a recreation, hobby, and pastime out of tearing down the Church, not building her up! Someone has to call them out on this….
3) And therefore I came. It’s the Year of Mercy and instructing the ignorant is a spiritual work of mercy. These folks just can’t fathom that someone like…
me, out of the abundance of my mercy, would come here to enlighten them. Pope Francis calls us to reach out to the margins of the Church. And folks, admit it, you are in the margins of the Church.
4) I have been commenting here on-and-off, using my name jon, since 2010, people. So, I predate this 2014 Bishops’ meeting that Daniel talks about. So, he’s totally wrong there.
5) What is the motive behind the hostile comments of these folks against the legitimate clergy of the Church and Vatican II? As I had mentioned before, some here have sadly swallowed—hook, line, and sinker–the nonsense of the beloved SSPX. The talking-points, sentiments, rhetoric you hear from them here echo the sounds coming from the beloved SSPX…
The talking-points, sentiments, rhetoric you hear from them here echo the sounds coming from the beloved SSPX. IMPLICATION: There’s an agenda behind their words which is to poach and to increase membership in these “illegal” chapels. Proof? I refer you to the Church Militant story from Sept. 2015 entitled “SSPX Poachers.”
Methinks he doth protest too much.
Ha, ha, jon! We anticipate your posts because you have become a parody of yourself as well as predictable. Your four-box apologia above proves our point about your narcissism. Ending with the SSPX bogeyman red herring was classic jon!
You’re good at searching for key terms in Church texts using Google. You don’t understand what the texts mean nor how they should be applied, as is clear by your remarks in which you contradict people’s valid criticisms of prudential judgments by clerics; you use magisterial prooftexts as hammers and your erroneous understanding as flawed grounds for your claims. Then you invent the fantasy of SSPX allegiance to explain it all in your feeble mind.
Poor Sawyer. I believe he gave two or three claims there, which we could ask him to prove. Again, a person making a claim is duty-bound to prove it.
Daniel must have struck a nerve with his post.
Not all chanceries are run the same way, but having been associated with some here and there, one comes to know how much of an impact blogs and sites like Cal Catholic have on affairs. Certainly the bishop of San Jose is very aware of CCD after the firestorm that erupted over SCU’s “theology” professor, Lisa Fullam, and the resultant letter-writing tsunami (May, 2014: “When Catholic Academics Abandon the Unborn”):
https://cal-catholic.com/?p=15158
There are those semi-official or perhaps self-appointed (self-anointed?) who attempt to ingratiate themselves to the Big Kahuna, acting like little martinets, all for Christ, of course.
The problem is those…
yes – by all means, doubt your faith – maybe it’s a good thing???
But while you’re being sooo open-minded – don’t forget to doubt “your doubt.”
i’d like to know who the theologiians are who have built the case for doubt over the centuries. the new testament and jesus’ exhortations do not seem to support doubt as a safe path to linger on in the faith life, but something to be rescued from, if we are talking about belief in God, doctrines pf the church. for day-to=day life issues, discerning God’s will is a more legitimate area to allow for doubt as a cautionary principle.
Daniel in Danville’s posts are also timely. Catholic blogs are all reporting on this.
BREAKING NEWS: Newly Ordained Bishop of Tulsa is Reportedly Shutting Down a
Traditional Exorcist Society of Priests
UPDATE:
https://okietraditionalist.blogspot.com/2016/09/breaking-news-newly-ordained-bishop-of.html
Black Mass IN OKC – Exorcist Kicked Out By New Bishop | Traditional Catholic Priest
https://www.traditionalcatholicpriest.com/2016/09/11/black-mass-okc-exorcist-kicked-new-bishop/
New Bergoglian Bishop of Tulsa Shuts Down Priestly Society of Exorcists
https://eponymousflower.blogspot.com/2016/09/new-bergoglian-bishop-of-tulsa-shuts.html
Ladies and Gentlemen: the disobedient and the dissenters really love this article. Their “doubts” about Vatican II, the legitimate clergy, the Ordinary Form are all being validated by no less than Gonzaga University, the Magis Center and the Spitzer Center for Ethical Leadership.
But since doubt is “good”, doubt about Vatican II’s authenticity should be praiseworthy, and your eyes-wide-shut certitude is delusion, no? A. ¡Si!