The H-Word

The Catechism definition of heresy is straightforward: “The obstinate denial after Baptism of a truth which must be believed with divine and Catholic faith” (CCC 2089). Most Catholics today don’t go around calling their Protestant friends and neighbors heretics, and that’s a good thing. After all, most Protestants today don’t formally meet the requirement, never having received the Catholic faith to begin with. But sometimes I wish we would be a little less polite and a little more straightforward about using the word heresy itself.

One of my great frustrations is when I see something come across my Newsfeed criticising Christianity for something which the Church neither believes nor practices. “THAT'S NOT TRUE!” I want to shout back in all caps. “That’s not Christianity; that’s not what the Church believes!” But then I remember that, sadly, there is some body of Christians out there somewhere who believes just that. To the critic of Christianity looking in from the outside, the only difference between the Catholic Church and the Westboro Baptists is the name on the door.

The cry of, “That’s not Christian!” is met with the reply, “According to whom? What makes your church so special? What gives you the right to define what is and is not Christian?”

The Catholic Church is special. And what makes her so special is the authority given by Jesus Christ to Peter and the Apostles. Jesus gave Peter the keys to the kingdom of heaven, and then told him and the other Apostles that “whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Mt 16:18-19). I don't have the right to define what is truly Christian, but the Church does, and that's the point.

Whenever a question of orthodoxy has arisen in the history of the Church, she has approached it by gathering together the successors of the Apostles, the bishops, in council to examine the issue at hand. Guided by the Holy Spirit, they are able to authoritatively declare, this is in accord with the Apostolic faith handed on to us, and this is not -- this is heresy. Those who persist in heresy are those who believe they have the right to define Christianity on their own terms.

There have always been those who have promoted their own version of Christianity apart from Apostolic authority; which is why it has always been important to clearly identify and proclaim the authentic Catholic faith. St. Cyril of Jerusalem, in 350 AD, advised travellers, “If you ever are visiting in cities, do not inquire simply where the house of the Lord is -- for the others, sects of the impious, attempt to call their dens ‘houses of the Lord’ -- nor ask merely where the Church is, but where is the Catholic Church. For this is the name peculiar to this holy Church, the mother of us all, which is the spouse of our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God" (Catechetical Lectures 18:26).

In other words, don’t be fooled by imposters. Do not settle for anything less than the true Church of Christ. This is sound advice still today, which is why we can no longer be afraid of the word heresy.

Do not misunderstand me. I am not advocating a return to the days of burning people at the stake. People should not be persecuted for their beliefs; but this does not mean all beliefs are equal. Some beliefs are true and some are false. Some beliefs uphold human dignity, while others are harmful to it. Some beliefs are part of the authentic Christian tradition while others are foreign to it. It is not wrong to call a spade a spade. It is helpful and even necessary to clearly delineate truth from error.

The great scandal of Protestantism is that it has splintered Christianity into a multitude of competing sects, each with its own particular brand to sell. Do you like liturgical worship? There is a church for that. Do you prefer a Sunday morning rock concert? There is a church for that. Maybe you think we should worship on Saturday instead. There is a church for that. Approve of same-sex marriage? There is a church for that. Would you like seven sacraments, just two, or none at all? There is a church for that.

With each of these “churches” claiming to be correct, it becomes impossible for someone on the outside to determine what truly represents Christianity. In this regard, Protestantism suffers from the same flaw as Islam. Both have their Holy Book but no Holy See; an authoritative text without an authority to interpret it. From its inception, there has never been an Islamic pope or Islamic magisterium. Unsurprisingly, then, Islam has been fractured from the beginning into competing sects, no one with any more legitimate claim to authority than the others. This is why there are ongoing arguments today as to what represents “true Islam,” and why those arguments will never be settled.

When Jesus Christ established the Catholic Church, He bestowed upon her many gifts, not the least of which is the authority to teach, govern and sanctify in His name. Unlike Islam, we have an authoritative teacher, and a clearly defined body of beliefs. The Papacy is a great gift. The Ecumenical Councils are great gifts. The Catechism is a great gift. Catholics everywhere should learn to rely on these gifts and grow comfortable with the teachings of their faith. Do not be afraid to proclaim them.

The next time you see the Christian religion attacked for a belief or practice that is foreign to the Catholic Church, don’t be afraid to call it out. Use the “h-word.” That’s not Christianity; that is heresy. The Church agrees with you that this is wrong. Now let me show you what the Church really believes. Let me show you how beautiful she truly is…

“There are not one hundred people in the United States who hate the Catholic Church, but there are millions who hate what they wrongly perceive the Catholic Church to be.” -- Ven. Fulton J. Sheen