Dissident Catholics

A dissident Catholic is one who claims to be a Catholic but will not adhere to various doctrines of the Church – be they dogmatic positions or disciplinary ones.  Dissident Catholics lay claim to the title of “Catholic” but when it comes to living their Catholic faith, everything is up for grabs.  Whether it is a refusal to regularly attend mass, adherence to Lenten Friday abstinence - or a matter of morality such as abortion or contraception – dissident Catholics practice their faith on their terms, not God’s.

We must remember what Jesus told the Apostles – the first leaders of the Church:  “Whoever listens to you (the Church) listens to me. Whoever rejects you (the Church) rejects me. And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me” (Luke 10:16).  This is not an enviable position foranybody to be in as Jesus also said, “But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.”

In Acts 9:4-5, Jesus confronted Saul, who was persecuting the Church.  He said, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?” He said, “Who are you, sir?” The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. In this verse, Jesus equates the Church with is very self.  Later, in his letter to the Ephesians, St. Paul stated that the Church was the fullness of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23).

After the First and Second Vatican Councils, many Catholics effectively broke away and started their own versions of what they thought the Catholic Church should be because they believed the Church to be in error.  This included priests and bishops who created new orders, ordaining others without permission from the Holy See.  In doing so, they rejected Jesus’ promise to the Church in John 16:12-15, when he promised that the Holy Spirit would guide the church to ALL truth.

This splintering was in direct conflict with the words of Jesus, as is all splintering of the Body of Christ.  In John 17, Jesus prayed fervently for the unity of the Church – to remain ONE as He and the Father are ONE.  This prayer for unity is dashed every time we reject the teachings of the Church and opt instead for our own versions of the “truth”.  Jesus said that HE was the Truth(John 14:6) – and St. Paul echoed that very sentiment about the Church, calling it “the pillar and foundation of truth” (1 Tim. 3:15).  The so-called “Reformation” was another example of how flawed humans will often pit their own will against God’s will.

The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ.  For Catholics, remaining faithful and obedient to the Church is not a choice – it’s a requirement.