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Religion

2007-06-01 09:43:00

Can you tell me about the sin of apostasy?

It seems that the universal definition of apostasy is the formal renunciation of one’s faith. If one quits practicing the Catholic faith, and becomes a member of another Church (other than Catholic), then openly criticizes Catholicism and its teachings, is one guilty of apostasy? Then, if that same person comes back to the Catholic faith, is that person guilty of committing apostasy with the other church?

Let’s begin by clarifying the definition. Webster’s Dictionary defines apostasy as “desertion of one’s religious faith, party, or principles.” The Catholic Catechism says in Paragraph 2089 that “apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith.” So there’s some difference in what the questioner and the dictionary understand by the word “apostasy,” and what the Catholic Church understands by that word. The questioner and the dictionary seem to mean: partial or temporary renunciation or rejection or abandonment of their former religion, whereas the Church views apostasy as total repudiation. The questioner doesn’t state which church the former Catholic has joined, but he does call it a “church.” The word “church” is exclusive with Christians, as the Jews use the terms synagogue and temple, and Moslems have mosques. Jehovah’s Witnesses have “kingdom halls.” In as much as the former Catholic joined another church, he/she must have retained some of the beliefs of the Catholic Church (e.g. the Apostles’ Creed); otherwise, if he/she rejected every single teaching of the Christian faith, he would not have been accepted into another Christian church. The Catholic Church restricts the word “apostasy” to “total renunciation of the Christian faith.” Although the former Catholic rails against Catholicism and its teachings, there must be some elements of the Catholic Church, which he/she has retained in order to be accepted into another Christian community. Accordingly, in proper terminology, we would describe such an ex-Catholic as being a heretic or a schismatic. Heresy is the obstinate denial of some truth which must be believed as revealed by God, while Schism is the refusal of submission to the Bishop of Rome, or of communion with the members of the Church in union with the Pope (Cf. Para. 2089). So, as long as the ex-Catholic retains some of the Catholic faith, he/she is not an apostate, properly speaking. And, through Baptism, he/she retains some relationship with his Catholic roots, even when he/she is living in heresy or schism as a member of another church. When that ex-Catholic receives from God the extraordinary grace to return to the Catholic Church, he/she is welcomed as a repentant sinner returning home. As Jesus established only one Church (not churches), he/she is not an apostate from that other Christian community or church, regardless of what those members might think. Rather he/she is returning to the fullness of the faith, which comes from Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that everyone has sinned and is in need of God’s grace in order to be saved. The returning Catholic may have found the help and encouragement he/she needed during his/her sojourn in another Christian community, which helped him/her to find his/her way back home on his journey to God. Catholics recognize and honor whatever of the truth is found in other Christian communities, but also in Judaism and in Islam. But we have to admit that those communities, which are separated from the Catholic Church, are deficient in that they lack some measure of that faith, which has been handed down from Jesus and his Apostles. As regards the ex-Catholic who “openly criticizes Catholicism and its teachings,” the ancient proverb observes: “Unhappy is the bird, that be fouls it’s own nest”