Dear Parishioners,

St. John Henry Cardinal Newman once wrote, “To live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.” He said this in his Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, which is a great read for anyone trying to understand the Church Fathers. In this work, he wrestles with the fact that the Church Fathers are not a monolith, all perfectly agreeing with each other. Instead, he finds that sometimes they contradict each other, argue and lack clarity. Many apologists for the Catholic Faith can sometimes overstate the unanimity of the Fathers of the Church, making it sound like they spoke with one voice and that the Ancient Church is identical to the Church of today. So, when one encounters the Fathers and sees such a wide variety of opinions, it can cause someone to think that the Church has strayed greatly from its ancient roots and has become something different.

In his essay, Cardinal Newman points out certain principles by which we can see that the ancient Church is the same Catholic Church that we have today. We see in nature that the young version of certain animals are very different than their older versions. For instance, a tadpole does not look like a frog nor a caterpillar like a butterfly. Yet, we all recognize that these are the same creatures in different stages and not different creatures. Like wise, the Church changes. But she is in continuity with what she previously was. Even though individual Christians might be wrong about certain issues, when the Church finally comes down on one side or another, she never contradicts herself. Furthermore, when certain proclamations are taken to an extreme, she moderates herself. Through this process of error and correction, she becomes more and more what she is supposed to be: the bearer of the truth of Christ to the world. So, to get back to the original quote, we should not be ashamed that the Church has changed because the Church has been enriched by the struggles and controversies throughout the centuries.

Likewise, we are all works in progress. Just as the Church has continuously grown, changed and continues to change to the present day, we should not expect ourselves to be perfect now. Perfection is a goal that can only be achieved by the grace of God, not our own willing it or pretending to be perfect. We should be glad that God loves us so much and desires us to be perfect. So, may we not resist the desire He has for us all to change and become who we are supposed to be. We are supposed to be come more and more like His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ.

God bless!

Fr. Carter