CAN
WE BE PIOUS WITHOUT SOUND DOCTRINE ? Can we have the gift of devotion without sound
doctrine or true discernment? Sure! It’s possible. Some of the faithful readily listen to the words of pious and devout people as though everything they say is truth. That someone is holy does not necessarily mean that he or she is an expert in Christian doctrine. Devout people are not a substitute for learned people. They are even less comparable to the pastors of the Church who have been mandated by God to lead us towards him and guide us along the right path. Pastors thus appointed are not always saints, but they, the Pope and the bishops, are the successors of the twelve apostles, who were given the mission to proclaim the Gospel (Mt 10: 14). It is the Lord himself who chose them. United with the Supreme Pontiff, the bishops form the Magisterium of the Church, and their mission is to authentically and officially interpret the divine Revelations. Occasionally, fervent people are misled and sometimes mislead others by their teaching which is contrary to that of the leaders of the Church. I am thinking of pious people like Arius, who lived in the 4th century. I can also think of more recent examples, particularly in new religions.
“Those voices that proclaim themselves to be
Catholic, and who give the impression of speaking on
behalf of the Church, in reality are not” (Cardinal
Roger Mahony, Archbishop of Los Angeles). If you are still unsure, don’t forget about discernment. One of the essential criteria for proper discernment is whether our devotion is faithful to Church doctrine, that which is taught by the Pope and by the bishops united with him. You can trust their judgment.
In the papal encyclical Faith and Reason, Pope John Paul
II warns us against the danger of devotion and faith that
disregard Church doctrine. He wrote: “Faith
without understanding places emphasis on emotions and
experience...”. It is blind faith. This
type of devotion runs the risk of weakening our faith by
relying on superstition and human sentiment. These
days, many people are wary of Church doctrine and
mistakenly adopt these sentimental attitudes. |