Commentary: Narrowing the Gap Between Faith and Practice

I'm guessing that most evangelicals are having a hard time figuring out what happened last weekend at Notre Dame.

WASHINGTON (Catholic Online) - "A denomination comes into existence when someone feels there is a doctrine worth fighting for." I heard that definition from Evangelical pastor Frank Tillapaugh at a conference in the 80's.

For most evangelicals, making a commitment to a local church or denomination comes from a unique blend of conviction regarding the teachings of the group, embrace for the style of worship, and enthusiasm for the leader. Only in rare circumstances would you have someone belong to a church where they disagree with the basic tenets of faith.

While this might seem somewhat of an over-generalization, in evangelicalism there is not much distance between faith and practice. Their commitment is first to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and to the mission He gave them to "make disciples."

They nurture a personal faith through prayer and the reading of Holy Scripture, whose teachings impact daily life. They are passionate about their Christ faith. "God said it. I believe it. That settles it for me." Most practice what they preach.

As a Catholic convert, I still have an evangelical edge I never want to lose. The Church must be more than just an affiliation. Rather this is my spiritual home where I continue to live out my faith in Jesus Christ and affirm His Lord and teachings by Scripture and Tradition through the magisterium. This is not a position of mindless obedience, but informed assent.

Whenever I share my story with groups, I often hear the comment, "You are excited about things we cradle Catholics take for granted."

As the drama unfolded in South Bend over the past few months, I found my evangelicalism rising up, astonished at the way clear Catholic teachings were cast aside for political expedience. I guess, living on the fringe of the Washington Beltway, this should not really come as such a surprise; but this was Catholic Notre Dame not Capitol Hill.

We are now on the other side of May Exercises. As an evangelical Catholic, I'm praying for a good old-fashioned revival in the Church. I know I'm in good company, as our Holy Father is praying for the same thing, as are his predecessors.

What kind of a revival am I talking about?

The kind where you fall in love with Jesus and His Church again.

In his first encyclical "Deus Caritas Est" (God is Love), Pope Benedict writes, "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person, which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction."

How easy it is for us to confuse doctrine with deity and politics with the person. The life of a Catholic is supernatural, as we live in communion with the Living God who sealed us with the Holy Spirit at baptism and marked us as Christ's own forever.

The glint of holy light, however, can dim on a tarnished soul. When we are in the battle, there must always be time for R & R - repentance and resurrection.

Through the sacraments we have the fullness of grace available. The sacrament of penance can bring the healing and forgiveness we need from our sins, but that is only half the work needed. Through Eucharist we received His life-sustaining grace.

We must never trust on Mass attendance and regular confession as the end of our work in formation. I have found this the case of many. We must enter into our own personal rule of life - a daily discipline of devotion. Through prayer and the reading of Holy Scripture we are built up in the things of God and prepared to pour ourselves out as an offering.

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini once said, "We must pray without tiring, for the salvation of mankind does not depend upon material success . . . but on Jesus alone."

In our time of personal renewal, the Church must come back into focus again as the Body of Christ, not just the political or ecclesiastical institution. As Saint Augustine said, "He who does not have the church as his mother does not have God as his Father."

We can easily get upset with those in leadership and lose sight of the pearl of great price - the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

As St. Thomas Aquinas wrote, "Just as in one man there is one soul and one body, yet many members; even so the Catholic Church is one body, having many members. The soul that quickens this body is the Holy Spirit; and therefore in the Creed after confessing our belief in the Holy Spirit, we are bid to believe in the Holy Catholic Church."

I have always loved the Church. In my Protestant days and now as a Catholic, I have always sought to serve Christ though serving His Church. She is not perfect and, in recent times, seemed even more confused misguided, yet she is the Church of Christ.

I did not become a Catholic because it had the best music or preaching or people. In fact, I came in while the Church was still reeling from scandal. I came in because she is true.

In agreement with the words of Elizabeth Ann Seton, "I will go peaceably and firmly to the Catholic Church: for if Faith is so important to our salvation, I will seek it where true Faith first began, seek it among those who received it from God Himself."

The activities at Notre Dame illustrated the variety of responses that can come in the face of evil. One response was civil disobedience as we saw taking place at the gates of the University. Certainly a magnet for the press, the leaders of these demonstrations were making an impact. As I found from comments in our local parish as well as on the web, the reaction to this approach was both positive and negative.

To some pro-life champions I know, this was not the proper way to wage the war.

Another group held a counter-commencement. They gathered to pray for the unborn, to recite the Rosary, and to hold vigil in line with their consciences. Father Frank Pavone, head of Priests for Life, was present to lead the group and offer them a charge for the future.

And to some pro-life champions I know, this was not the proper way to wage the war.

Still others went to commencement. On top of their mortarboard a yellow cross and two small yellow feet broadcast a golden message to all those in attendance at the Joyce Center.

And guess what? To some pro-life champions I know, this was not the proper way to wage the war.

Each group followed what they felt was their conscience at that time. Which was right?

The answer does not lie in the actions but intentions and obedience. When we are fully given over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and desire to walk in obedience to His directives, through prayer, we can be confident our words and actions will make a difference.

It's time to narrow the gap between faith and practice. It is time for us to purpose a life that is formed by the teachings of the Church and enlivened by the work and power of God's Holy Spirit, whom we received at our baptism and is ready to inspire and ignite us.

As St. Paul admonishes us in I Timothy 4:16: "Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers."

We are being called to a new Catholic action. Of that, there is no doubt. To be ready for the call and respond appropriately, we are also being called to a new Catholic devotion. The apostle Paul reminds us, "And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (Colossians 3:17)

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Randy Sly is the Associate Editor of Catholic Online. He is a former Archbishop of the Charismatic Episcopal church who laid aside that ministry to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church.

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