A reader writes:
My wife is going through RCIA right now, and she asked me a question tonight that I thought I’d pick your brain on. Here’s the gist of it:
The Catholic Church teaches that although there is no salvation outside of the Church, the Church acknowledges that it does not know where the boundaries of the invisible Church are (i.e., visible v. invisible Church). That having been said, does the Catholic Church believe that a devout Baptist can lead as devout of a Christian life as a devout Catholic (lots of “devouts” in there I know)?
This was my tentative answer (based on everything I’ve read):
I think what the Church would say is that it is much harder to live a devout Christian life outside of Church; not because Catholics are naturally more holy than protestants, but because we have access to all of the sacraments, the teaching of the Church, etc. I also analogized the situation to two people each building a house. One has all of the possible tools he could ever need or want to complete the job, and the other one has enough to get it done but may have to work a little harder to finish the task. Of course, for some Catholics (like Kerry) having access to these “tools” is meaningless because he is unwilling to use them.
I am not sure that is the “right” answer, but it strikes me as correct based on all that I’ve read thus far.
Thoughts?
It seems to me that the answer you gave is essentially correct, though I would add some nuances depending on what one means by “devout.”
First, though, I’d issue a caution about contrasting the “visible Church” with the “invisible Church.” This language is not used in ecclesiastical documents. The way Vatican II presents the matter, there is one Church, in which Catholics who are in a state of grace are “fully incorporated” and with which non-Catholic Christians are “associated” (which may be a synonym for “partially incorporated”).
Now, on to the question of devotion:
1) If one takes a subjective definition of “devout,” by which it would mean “sincere” or “fervent in practice,” then it would seem that non-Catholic Christians can be just as sincere and fervent in their practice of religion as Catholics. Catholics do not have an intrinsic subjective advantage in terms of sincerity or fervor.
They do, however, have an extrinsic advantage–as you point out–in that they have means of grace available to them that can foster greater fervor. These include not only the sacraments but also sacramentals, Catholic art, etc.
Yet these extrinsic advantages can be overcome by other extrinsic factors. The pitiful preaching and catechesis that has existed in many Catholic churches for the last forty years is an extrinsic factor that mitigates against fervor, and the fervor of many Catholics has been depressed by this compared to the fervor of those in many Evangelical and Fundamentalist churches.
2) Historically the word “devout” may be taken in another, more objectivist sense–i.e., religious practice that makes an objective connection with God. This might be taken as something Paul has in mind when he says that “it is good to be zealous in a good thing always” (Gal. 4:18). If the term “devout” is taken in this sense (i.e., devotion that objectively makes a connection with God rather than simply being subjectively fervent without this connection necessarily being made) then the Catholic has more of an advantage.
The chief reason is the sacraments. They guarantee a connection with God as long as we do not put a barrier in the way. Therefore, our own subjective fervor is not required for the connection to take place. The subjective fervor of Catholics may be no different than the subjective fervor of non-Catholic Christians, but the fact that Catholics operate in an environment in which they have greater access to sacraments through which God has promised to make a connection with us means that they have a greater advantage in terms of devotion that makes an objective connection to God.
Even this advantage can be neutralized, however. If a Catholic fails to take advantage of the sacraments, this advantage vanishes. Worse, if he commits sacrilege with the sacraments (e.g., by taking Communion when in a state of mortal sin) then he has sinned against God in an objectively greater way than someone without access to the sacraments.
Thus, while there are advantages to being Catholic in terms of devotion, they are not a guarantee of subjective or objective devotion. As always, God is no respecter of men. Of whom more is given, more is required.
Now, perhaps you can answer this question for me: How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
Please answer the question in terms of an objective measure (pounds, ricks, cords, etc.). The answer “As much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood” is a cop out.
Much obliged!
