I live in a part of the world where it is not unusual for people to come to my door and say, “We are your neighbors. Have you been saved?” By that they want to know: “Do I believe I am going to heaven when I die or not? Am I right with God?” That’s an important question! One day my pastor gave some direction about how to answer. He suggested we say, “Yes, I have been saved, I am being saved, and I will be saved.” That answer summarizes Catholic teaching on “faith and works,” the topic of today’s reflection.
A Little Basic Background
Last Monday, in a comment about last week’s reflection, a reader asked for some clarification about the “faith and works” controversy that split Christendom during the Protestant Reformations of Europe in the 16th century. Summarized very, very briefly, Martin Luther and others who broke away from the Catholic Church accused the Church of teaching that people had to earn their way to heaven by “good works,” rather than by having faith that Christ’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection is what “saves” us–makes us right with God.
In terms of actual teaching, both then and now, nothing could be further from the truth. The Catholic Church teaches that God saves us. He started it by creating us in his image, so that we are designed with a free will to be able to love and a yearning for love. Then, since free will also gives us the option of choosing to sin, God came as Christ to both show us how to live and love in God’s way AND to “justify” us (make things just or right) through his Passion, Death, and Resurrection. God continues to save us through Holy Spirit, Church, and ongoing relationship. All this is outlined in the first 276 pages of our current Catechism!
However, in terms of how people practice Catholicism, both then and now, we can give reason for misunderstanding. As such, it is a good lens for us to view our Scripture readings for today.
Ephesians and Justification by Faith—and Works
In Ephesians, Paul exhorts the Christian community to practice “good works.” He says, “Be kind to one another, compassionate, forgiving one another as God has forgiven you in Christ.” Why? Then they will be “imitators of God.” Why is that important? “…as beloved children, live in love, as Christ loved us and handed himself over to us as a sacrificial offering to God for a fragrant aroma.” Good works demonstrate that we have been claimed by God, that we are becoming more and more formed in God’s plan.
The Church teaches that faith requires assent, i.e., with belief comes commitment to let ourselves be formed day-by-day-by-day to better match our way of being to our “Father.” Our brother Jesus, the Christ, has shown us the way. God-within-us-now, the Holy Spirit, prompts and guides us.
We still have the problem of sin—turning away from God’s ways and standards. It was a problem for the Ephesians, just as it is now. “Immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be mentioned among you, as is fitting among holy ones, no obscenity or silly or suggestive talk, which is out of place…” Paul wouldn’t have been correcting these sins if the Ephesians hadn’t been doing them.
Just like us. Now. In our polarities. We are sinners. Still.
But, we become more God-like as we grow and mature in faith. We are being saved. That was true for the Ephesians. It is true for us. I don’t know about you, but when God begins to move me closer, so I “behave like God as his very dear children,” (the psalm response today), He starts it. Through a Scripture passage, a homily, a conversation, reading, a dilemma—I see where I have deliberately turned away from God’s way or where I have not yet developed the mind and heart and will to fully follow God’s way. All this is God saving me in the present, just as God saved me in the past on the cross.
God reminds me of his past and present action in the mass. God comes in the community, in his Word, in the Eucharist. God comes! Think of the acclamation, “Lord, by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free!”I receive him in the Host. I grow in grace. As I do, I move a bit closer to match my will, heart, and mind to God. I am being saved by God’s work…as I cooperate with God’s grace.
In the Gospel
In today’s Gospel Jesus is doing his “good works.” Some people complain. Others admire him. But, you might notice, whether he gets praise or blame does not influence what he does. He is God, giving grace to the woman who was bent over. He is also God, giving grace to the synagogue official and others who critiqued him.
Reformations, War, and History
In 1999, Lutherans and Catholics signed an accord which said that, actually, both churches really believe the same thing about grace and justification. Yet, soon after the Reformations came the Thirty Years War, fought mostly in Germany, but involving all of Europe as Protestants and Catholics fought to the death. Death was widespread. Somewhere between 4 and 8 million people died in that war—most of them ordinary people, most of them from starvation.
How could two structures of the Christian faith do that to each other—when there really wasn’t even true disagreement? Satan had to be in that mix!
But Satan hones in on human weakness. Much of the answer lies in the mixing of religion and politics. Catholic and Protestant princes fought for power and land. Ordinary people paid the price.
Much of the answer comes from the lack of education. Martin Luther was an Augustinian monk, but he did not seem to know of Thomas Aquinas’ teaching on grace, faith, and works. There is evidence he was overwhelmed with great fear of damnation because of his sins. Yet, all alone in his struggle, Luther would not have changed the face of Europe and Christian faith. He struck a chord in the culture.
Some of that was because how the Church was defining “works” in those days, especially works of penance. Penances for sin were severe, long-lasting, and public. Devotional confession had not yet developed. Often severe penances were given to temporal leaders for the wrongs they did to their people. But they were rich—and they hired others to do their penances for them. (That did indeed miss the point and make it seem like works were what got people to heaven!) Most priests who were not also monks could not read or write. There were no seminaries to teach Scripture or Magisterium. The Council of Trent, which corrected the abuses that led to the Reformations, set up plans for seminaries and standards for liturgy, morality, and catechesis. Laity could not read or write. People did not know their faith. Without knowing their faith, they did not live it. Works often were “empty” hypocrisy Jesus condemns today.
Back to My Front Door
When I was in college considering becoming Catholic, I talked with my Protestant pastor. I had read Frank Sheed’s Theology for Beginners, and I was fascinated at the fullness of Catholic doctrine. “What do we believe?” I asked. He said, “That salvation comes through Jesus Christ, in baptism in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, in the priesthood of all believers—and anything else you want.” A very general “faith” was enough.
I chose the fullness of Catholic faith. I trusted its structure and centuries of people seeking God and developing understanding of his Truth. I still love it with it’s big, big catechism.
I love what the catechism says,
“By faith, man completely submits his intellect and his will to God. With his whole being man gives his assent to God the revealer. Sacred Scripture calls this human response to God, the author of revelation, ‘the obedience of faith.’ To obey in faith is to submit freely to the word that has been heard, because its truth is guaranteed by God, who is Truth itself.” (CCC 143-144)
Prayer
Lord, this study of Protestant-Catholic difference over faith and works has been sobering to me. Good people did not know their faith, then got locked into beliefs of rulers, and much evil happened. Today, we often still do not know our faith. We get locked into polarities, and much evil happens. Thank you for the faith you have given me. Lead me and guide me to make it front row center of my life–today, every day. You have saved me. You are saving me. You will save me.
NOTE: More on “you will save me” next week.
