One of the biggest differentiators between Catholic and many Protestant cultures is the use of physical objects in our devotions and other practices of our faith.
I've already mentioned holy water, though it's worth adding that many Catholics keep containers of this blessed water in their homes for use in blessing themselves, those that they care about, and even places and objects they care about such as their houses.
Catholics have many other such objects they may use, from scapulars to holy medals to rosaries to statues and beyond.
To Protestant sensibilities, these often smack of idolatry, or at the very least, a distraction from focusing exclusively on Christ.
Historically, however, before the average person could read or even possess a Bible, such objects were useful reminders of their faith and ways of keeping attention on devotions and not being distracted. They occupy our hands and eyes, and allow us to unite our senses in prayer.
This is counterintuitive to many Protestants, my younger self included, for whom their private experience of faith and devotion is an almost exclusively intellectual one, ideally suffused with the joy of which C.S.Lewis speaks in his great autobiography, "Surprised by Joy". To involve the other senses, and particularly touch, almost feels like we're degrading the purity of our devotions.
And yet, we are more than intellectual beings. We have five physical senses, and if we can find ways to involve them in our prayers, we can pray more deeply.
Of course, the clearest illustration of this, and a standard part of most Christians' experience, is song, which contains the intellectual content in the words, but the additional auditory and aesthetic content in the music. If you think about it, the music by itself isn't necessarily self-evidently a form of devotion. However, coupled with the words and/or the worship context, it gives a much deeper experience of prayer and praise. Or, to quote a sentiment often attributed to St. Augustine, "Who sings prays twice."
The problem is, it's human nature to put the gift above the giver. In my earlier blog/chapter about snakes and trees I mentioned how the bronze serpent on a pole, used to heal people from snake bites if they looked upon it, became an idol that people sacrificed to.
I have met some Protestant Christians who likewise idolized the Bible, treating their personal interpretation of isolated verses out of context as having an infallible meaning that just happened to perfectly suit their own personal agendas. Others may have had similar attachments to their church buildings, or at least the cross which may be found at the front.
Here's the thing: these are all good objects which, when treated reverently, enable our faith journeys. Indeed, while there have been many people throughout history who became Christians without having access to a whole Bible (think of many of the converts described in the book of Acts, for example), and many more who haven't read the entire Bible, there's no question that the Bible is a critically important part of a full faith life as a Christian.
Now, when my kids were too young to read the text of the Bible, they had access to a picture Bible. Was it really the Bible? No... but it was an object that helped them deepen their faith by enabling them to learn about and mediate on stories from the Bible, and disposed them to be able to more readily receive the full Bible when they were mature enough. And they still enjoy looking at the picture Bible.
Likewise, when Catholic sacramental objects are used to remind us of our faith, to give us something to hold and look at and think about, and to help us keep focused during our prayers, they are a very special part of our faith journey that allow us to keep the less-intellectual dimensions of ourselves from distracting us.
Which doesn't change the fact that some people - including non-Christians who have some measure of Catholic culture, and some Catholics whose faith isn't well-informed for various reasons - may mistake these sacramentals as magical objects and misuse them. Just like some people may misuse the Bible. But both, when used properly, can be important parts of our journeys into a deeper relationship with Christ our Redeemer.
(Copyright (c) 2011, Reg Harbeck, all rights reserved)
No comments:
Post a Comment