All Things to All Men
by Leon J. Suprenant, Jr.

When it comes to sharing our Catholic faith with those around us, we encounter a wide range of people. Some people don’t want to discuss religion at all, or are openly hostile to Christianity in general or Catholicism in particular. All of the great world religions and philosophical traditions are represented to some extent in our country, as are some more offbeat, contemporary ones. There are now over 20,000 Christian Protestant denominations, each with its own subtle and not-so-subtle differences.

Even within the Catholic Church, which at last count has more than 60 million members in the United States alone, there are significant differences. Some may be baptized but, having long since abandoned the faith, are Catholic in name only. Others, who haven’t abandoned the faith entirely, reject the Church’s teaching on key doctrinal or moral issues, such as contraception, abortion, and homosexuality. Still others are suspicious of the post-Vatican II Church and do not fully accept the authority of the Holy Father. Some have taken dissident positions (both to the left and to the right) after some study, but most Catholics have not been formed well in the Catholic faith and are fuzzy about what our faith in Christ entails.

Given this ecclesial landscape, we can easily fall prey to one of two pitfalls. On the one hand, given the dangers to the faith today, we might be inclined to flee from the world, huddle together, and preserve the “true faith” with other Catholics. Yet, that approach seems to run directly counter to the clear exhortations of Vatican II and our Holy Father to prudently engage the world, not withdraw from it. After all, Our Lord instructs us not to set our lamps under a basket, but rather use them as a light to the world (cf. Mt. 5:14-16).

On the other hand, how do we approach individuals, organizations, and structures that seem to be out of step with the Magisterium? How do we meaningfully interact with “outsiders” without causing scandal or compromising our holy faith?

How we engage others who disagree with us in such a way that reflects the truth of our faith and the charity that unites us as God’s children will often vary. But I would like to offer a few principles from Our Lord’s life and the teachings of St. Paul that help shed light on this important issue.

Prayer for Unity

One of Christ’s last actions on earth was to pray at length for the unity of His followers, including those who would come to believe in Him through the testimony of His apostles. Indeed, the Gospels record many episodes of Christ at prayer throughout His public ministry.

We can draw three helpful insights from Jesus' example. First, though He was “in the form of God” (Phil. 2:5) and utterly without sin, He didn’t dispense with prayer. No matter how staunchly committed to orthodoxy we are, we can never ignore this fundamental requirement. Second, our prayer should seek to break down the barriers that divide us. Pope John Paul II insists on this point concerning prayer for Christian unity. Our Lord reminded His followers to pray for their enemies and their persecutors (cf. Mt. 5:44). Who are our “enemies and persecutors”? Do we fervently pray for them? Third, we may not know what to say to someone who is confronting us and questioning our holy faith. But people united to Our Lord’s will through a life of prayer can turn to the Holy Spirit, who will provide the right words for the situation (cf. Mt. 10:19-20).

Remember the Goal

Many of us are familiar with this saying from St. Paul: “I have become all things to all men, that I might by all means save some” (1 Cor. 9:22). Less familiar is the next verse, where St. Paul discloses his motive: “I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings” (1 Cor. 9:23).

St. Paul revisits the issue of engaging others in the next chapter: “Give no offense to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God, just as I try to please all men in everything I do, not seeking my own advantage, but that of many, that they may be saved. Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ” (1 Cor. 10:32-33).

In taking on all comers, St. Paul heroically clung to his foremost goal: his own salvation and the salvation of those whom he addressed. He was not out for riches, honors, or fame. He didn’t want to “win” an argument but lose the sinner. He didn’t want to simply “react” or vindicate his reputation in the face of criticism. Rather, his approach was necessarily shaped by what would most likely win souls for Christ.

This principle assumes that, while our methods and approaches may vary, our message—the content of our faith—must never vary or be compromised. The Catechism affirms that the truths of our faith should not be presented the same way to everybody, but rather we must take into account differences of culture, age, spiritual maturity, and social and ecclesial condition (no. 24).

We see in Christ’s own ministry that at times He was remarkably gentle with sinners, and yet at other times He expressed intense anger, as when He overturned the money changers’ tables in the Temple. Was Our Lord erratic or arbitrary? No. He approached each person or situation on its own merit and always responded in a way that was ordered to the other’s salvation.

Against the Grain

In the Old Testament, sinners were not only considered unclean, but coming in contact with a sinner made a person unclean. Sin spread easily, like a stain of wet ink. In Jesus’ own day, the Pharisees had a number of human regulations that were designed to keep the observant Jews cordoned off from infidels, lest the faithful be contaminated.

Jesus brought a different approach. He spent time with tax collectors, adulterers, and other sinners. He sent His apostles to the “ends of the earth.” The mere touch of Jesus brought healing to the sinner, without Jesus being contaminated (cf. Lk. 6:19). In continuing the work of Christ, the Church embraces sinners and cleanses them with her sacraments, without compromising her holiness (cf. Catechism, no. 827).

Note that Jesus didn’t simply “hang out” with the wrong people. He affirmed their dignity and value, but He also used the occasion to call them to “sin no more” (Jn. 8:11). We frequently hear “love the sinner, hate the sin” and “be in the world, not of it.” Our Lord, the current Holy Father, and the great saints throughout the centuries give us flesh and blood examples of how to achieve this balance.

Know Our Faith

Given the dizzying array of challenges to our faith, it is increasingly difficult to “be prepared to make a defense to any one who calls [us] to account for the hope that is in [us]” (1 Pet. 3:15). While what is usually most attractive to others is the “lived witness” of the faith, we often need to go beyond that and explain what we believe.

There are no shortcuts when it comes to learning our faith. There simply is no substitute for prayerful, assiduous study of the Bible and the Catechism, nourished through the liturgical life of the Church. The goal, of course, is not “book knowledge,” but to grow in love of Christ and His Church and increase our zeal for holiness and evangelization.

Here at CUF we have a wide range of materials to assist people who want to deepen their knowledge of the Catholic faith. If you have a question about what the Church teaches and why, please call us toll-free at (800) MY FAITH (693-2484) to speak directly with our staff of catechists and apologists.

Get Out of the Way

Vatican II’s Decree on Religious Liberty says that the truth of itself has the power to win over minds and hearts. From this it seems logical that if we can get the truth to people, good things would start happening. And, to a large extent, that’s the case. However, some people simply do not have “ears to hear” (Mt. 13:9), and we need to continue to pray that the Lord will soften their hearts. Yet it’s also true that sometimes the truth gets lost in the shuffle. In other words, we unintentionally get in the way of the truth by the way we express ourselves—the methods drown out the message. People generally become very sensitive and defensive when they think they’re being judged, ridiculed, or spoken down to (whether they are or not). Here again, we can learn from our Holy Father, who is able to dialogue with anyone in a true spirit of solidarity and respect.

The great Apostle to the Gentiles knew the importance of keeping his listeners’ salvation as his goal, as he strove not to place any unnecessary barriers or obstacles in the way of their embracing Christ’s saving truth. In doing so, in becoming “all things to all men” (1 Cor. 9:22), St. Paul was becoming a great saint in the household of God. May we, as members of Catholics United for the Faith, follow his holy footsteps.

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