Certainty

Jesus said to his disciples, “I will ask the Father and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, because he abides with you and he will be in you” (John 14:16-17).

            A while ago, I was talking with a parishioner about how Church teachings have evolved over the years. “In the past”, the man said, “everything was black or white. The Church taught a Catholic should not attend Protestant services and you never went to one. Today, we frequently go to Baptisms, Weddings and Funerals in their Churches. Is there nothing certain, anymore?” I replied by noting that as the Church interacts with the world it obtains insights about what is true. It uses these insights to better understand what Jesus taught. The end result of this process is that its teachings evolve so they can better convey with certainty the truth about God.

            In this text from John, Jesus tells his disciples the Father will send them the Advocate, the Spirit of the truth, who will abide in them. By doing so, the Holy Spirit will ensure they know the truth about God with certainty.

            Within the Hebrew Scriptures/Old Testament, the truth about God was more often gained though life experience than abstract reason. The Jewish people were sure of God’s love for them because of the peace, prosperity and well-being they had encountered over the years. However, there was a moral dimension linked to these blessings. God’s Law revealed the principles which had enabled them to sustain their favorable situation. During the time of Hosea, when the people disobeyed the Law, the prophet warned of dire consequences. Fidelity to the Law and certainty about the truth behind it was required in order for people to know God and receive his blessings. God’s desire for their happiness was indicated by his gift of the Law and the sending of prophets to remind them to be faithful to it. Knowing the truth about God with certainty was connected to life experience.

            John’s account of Christ’s teaching about the Holy Spirit reveals how it will help people to know the truth about God through their life experience. Earlier, Jesus had taught his disciples they should love each other as he had loved them. They had experienced Christ’s love for others through his many teachings and miracles. Yet, they were unaware his forthcoming death on the Cross would be the greatest sign of his love. Their experience of that event would likely confuse them and shatter their faith. While the world would see it as proof Jesus had failed in his mission, the Advocate would enable his disciples to perceive the crucifixion as the way humanity would gain redemption from sin and enter Eternal Life. They could be certain Christ had accomplished his Father’s plan. After the Holy Spirit descended upon the disciples at Pentecost, it lived within them. Under its guidance, they would come to know more clearly the truth about God revealed by Jesus. As they interacted with the world and faced new situations, like the growing numbers of Gentiles entering the Church, the Advocate would ensure they responded appropriately.

            Easter is the season Catholics become more aware of how it takes time for things to reach completion. During the late winter, a tree often looks dead with its branches and trunk hardened by the cold. In early spring, it looks a little more alive when buds start to appear on the branches. As the weather gets warmer, the buds sprout into leaves and birds fill the branches. In the same way, our faith grows slowly both individually and collectively. Our understanding of what Christ taught evolves when we read Scripture, study the Catechism, reflect on our life experiences and pray. As the tree can’t change without the help of the sun, so we need the Holy Spirit to guide us.

As the Church has interacted with the world over the past decades, experiences of daily life have indicated Catholics and Protestants worship the same God and share many beliefs and practices. The Advocate has helped the Church recognize being an authentic Catholic need not exclude the possibility of joining with Protestants for important religious celebrations. While there are some limits to participating in such events, like the inability to share the Eucharist, they need not stop an expression of Christian unity. The Church’s teaching evolves so that knowing the truth about God with certainty remains connected to the lived experiences of the faithful.

            One way to acquire a better understanding of how Church’s teachings have evolved over time is through spiritual reading. Some of the greatest thinkers in history are part of our Catholic tradition. Since their writings often deal with deep and complex issues, they are not always easy to read. Many have examined the important questions of life and have discovered some timeless truths about them. Yet, each one experienced life in a particular time and place. They built upon the foundations of the past and added something to the Church’s teaching but none had reached the whole truth. This process has continued until our present time and will do so into the future. Through spiritual reading, we can identify the eternal truths about the human condition and our faith but also how our understanding of them evolves so we can better apply them to daily life.

            The confusion expressed by my parishioner is shared by many others. In the past, when the world changed less, the Church taught in a more definitive way. Black or white statements made many Catholics comfortable. However, the changes happening in our world today are more fundamental and rapid. For this reason, the Church is usually more nuanced in its teaching. By doing so, it strives to teach with certainty the truth about God while recognizing how changes in the world influence human understanding and experiences. The Advocate ensures that as Church teachings evolve, they follow God’s plan.

May 17, 2020