“While Discipline and Freedom seem like they sit on opposite sides of the spectrum, they are actually very connected. Freedom is what everyone wants — to be able to act and live with freedom. But the only way to get to a place of freedom is through discipline. If you want financial freedom, you have to have financial discipline. If you want more free time, you have to follow a more disciplined time management system. You also have to have the discipline to say “No” to things that eat up your time with no payback—things like random YouTube videos, click-bait on the internet, and even events that you agree to attend when you know you won’t want to be there. Discipline equals freedom applies to every aspect of life: if you want more freedom, get more discipline” – Jocko Willink
As a cradle Catholic, there was a period in my life where I was frustrated with all the rules and rituals and “boring stuff” of Catholicism. That’s what I want to talk about today: the need for rules and self-discipline.
No sex before marriage. Don’t miss Mass. Pray the Rosary. Sit, stand, kneel. Sit, stand, kneel. Isn’t Catholicism more restrictive than liberating? Why can’t I just love God and ignore all these rules?
I’ll tell you why.
I agree with Fr. Rumble that “to have faith in Christ has come to mean one thing and one thing only, trust in Christ with an emotional experience of assurance that they are saved, while remaining practically indifferent to sound Christian doctrine in all its many vital aspects” (Fr. Rumble). We cannot rely merely on emotional experiences to enrich our faith. We cannot rely on faith alone.
This brings up the idea of the intersection of faith and reason. Faith and reason seem to contradict each other, however, when used together, we can get closer to Truth than if we used them separately.
Biblical faith is not blind faith, or believing something without a reason. Biblical faith is the “act of believing in something unseen for which we do have a good reason” (Dr. Lisle). Believing that God will keep a promise is an act of faith but it is not irrational. This is an act of faith because we cannot physically see it but we still have a good reason for it: “God has demonstrated that He keeps His promises” (Dr. Lisle).
Reason is a gift from God. This gift enables us to gather evidence and draw inferences from information such as the “information He has given us in His Word” (Dr. Lisle). Reason is a critical component of Christianity. I must use reason to come to the conclusion that I am saved. The Bible does not explicitly say my name followed by the words “is saved.” But, the Bible tells us that “if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9 NABRE). I have truly recognized that Jesus is Lord, and I truly believe that God raised Him from the dead. Therefore, I am saved. In order to come to this conclusion, I have to use logical reasoning.
Faith and reason do not contradict one another. More clearly, biblical faith and biblical reasoning thrive off of each other. We need faith in order to reason. We must have faith “that there are laws of logic which correctly prescribe the correct chain of reasoning” (Dr. Lisle). We cannot observe the laws of logic with our senses. Our assurance of them is a kind of faith.
We would not be able to reason without laws of logic. These laws of logic emanate from the Christian faith. Therefore, we have good reason for our faith: we could not reason without our faith.
Ok cool, I appreciate the lecture on faith and reason but how does that help me understand the importance of all the rules and “boring stuff” of the Catholic Church? Stay with me.
There are reasons behind all the rules. Very good reasons that have been painstakingly sought after since the beginnings of Catholicism. Ironically enough, the “boring stuff” of Catholicism is what always leads me back to it.
Usually, I get frustrated with the rules and guidelines of Catholicism when I lose sight of why they are in place. Find out the why before you start to get angry and frustrated. You might be surprised at what you find.
There is an immense beauty within Catholicism: the Mass, the Sacraments, the Rosary, the liturgical year, and so much more.
Cool, you still have not really tied in discipline. Stay with me.
The elements of Catholicism that I just mentioned above are amazing gifts from God. However, it takes discipline to utilize these gifts. It takes discipline to make it to Mass every Sunday, to make it a habit to pray the Rosary and to make it a habit of going to confession. These habits do not make us less free. These habits do not restrict us. These elements of Catholicism are available to us in order for us to be truly free. We need discipline to achieve freedom. We need rules and the “boring stuff” of Catholicism in order to truly be liberated from this world. In fact, the “boring stuff” of Catholicism that I keep mentioning is not boring at all. It is truly extraordinary. Too often, we take it for granted. This is my call to action for Catholics to stop taking these truly awesome and wonderful gifts from God for granted.
“Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect” (Romans 12:2).
We need rules to help us practice discipline so that we can function as Christians in this world without becoming a part of it.
As Billy Graham says, “it is good for a ship to be in the sea, but bad when the sea gets into the ship.”
Prayer
Breathe into me, Holy Spirit, that my thoughts may all be holy. Move in me, Holy Spirit, that my work, too, may be holy. Attract my heart, Holy Spirit, that I may love only what is holy. Strengthen me, Holy Spirit, that I may defend all that is holy. Protect me, Holy Spirit, that I may always be holy.
Amen.
– St. Augustine –
Sources:
Catholicism Rekindled 