547. June 22, St Thomas More (III)
Meditations no. 478 (unofficial computer-aided translation)
Love of freedom, an essential characteristic of the Work.
Today we consider an essential characteristic of the spirit of the Work: love and defence of the legitimate personal freedom of every person.
As a good Christian, St Thomas More knew how to respect the divergent opinions of others. He conversed with political figures and men of science who were seeking the truth. At the same time, he did not yield when it was a matter of questions relating to the faith. His conduct reflects the freedom all Catholics enjoy in what refers to the construction of temporal society. As our Father taught us, the personal freedom of the Catholic layman in these questions has no other limits than the law of God and fidelity to his Holy Church. Rather than limits, they are a precious gift; they give human actions value and make them worthy of a son of God. Many years ago, in 1931, I wrote to you: our diversity is not a problem for the Work. On the contrary, it is a manifestation of good spirit, of a healthy organism, of respect for the legitimate freedom of each person. With the passing of years and the expansion of our work, these words have received a marvellous confirmation. Opus Dei has not had, does not have, and will never have its own opinion concerning temporal, political, cultural or theological questions. Its members will be able to hold any opinion compatible with the Catholic faithā¦ according to their personal preferences, studies and opinions.
Our founderās passionate defence of freedom was a constant theme. My children, we love everyone, including those who do not understand us or who do not want to understand our behaviour as free, individual, ordinary Christians. It just doesnāt enter their minds that we are as free as the birds. We are very, very free and you have the right to think and act as you choose. Each one does what he wants in temporal affairs, provided he does not go against the Catholic faith. There is a wide range of opinions to choose from. No one will ever tell you anything against this noble liberty; here is something we have lived since 1928.
Some people would prefer that we were a political party, in order to manipulate us, but Opus Dei is not a political party. Opus Dei is the holy freedom of the children of God. There are some things - few things - on which we all agree: the faith and morals of Jesus Christ, and the spirit of the Work As for everything else, you are very, very free. We live in a world of tyrannies that are more or less disguised. And for some people, it is impossible to understand this marvellous freedom of ours - of each one of us - along with its consequent personal responsibility. They are incapable of imagining that anything so beautiful could exist.
Two permanent traits in the life of St Thomas More: loyalty and supernatural fidelity.
The learning which I impart is not my own, it comes from him who sent me. Christ, the Word of God Incarnate, has transmitted a divine doctrine to us. The only appropriate response to his message is submissive assent. Jesus entrusted this deposit of truth to the Church, so that men in every age would have access to the Word of God.
For that reason, we cannot confuse discussion about the most diverse temporal matters with apostolic dialogue, or conversation regarding the things of God. In 1965, our Father wrote: Our charity has been lived without limits or discriminationā¦ with the grace of God, it will go on that way. What you must never do, because it is illicit for a Christian, is to tone down the faith, take off the edges and sweeten it until it changes into something amorphous, into something that does not have the strength and virtue of God. It is absolutely necessary that the whole doctrine be clearly set forth, since there is nothing so foreign to ecumenism as false irenicism, which harms the purity of Catholic doctrine and obscures its genuine and certain meaning (Second Vatican Council, Decree Unitatis redintegratio, 11).
We cannot compromise about things that are not ours, because they belong to God. One cannot adopt the easy criterion of false irenics, or half and halfā¦ like the pie-vendor who used horsemeat mixed with pheasant. The attitude reflected by the behaviour of some as regards the deposit of faith and seen in their dialogue with Catholics reminds me of a story. There was a poor man who had two wives, a young one and an older one. The two of them loved him so much that the older one cut off his black hair, so that he would resemble her in age. The young one pulled out his grey hairs, for the same reason. Between the two, they left him quite bald.
You must have the courage, which is at once humility and service to God, to present things as they are. Do not be afraid, or let yourselves be deceived by a badly directed charity. Superficially, such courage may seem an obstacle to dialogue. On the contrary, it is what non-Catholics and non-Christians are most thankful for when they get to know you.
For they realise that your dialogue is noble and sincere. They see that no personal motives are involved. They know that you would find it repulsive to put them on public display. There are some people, unfortunately, who even make political propaganda out of their friendship with non-Catholics. They fall to instrumentalization of consciences. This is unworthy of anyone, including a Christian.
Our security concerning the truths of faith is of an order superior to that which we acquire through intellectual effort. In matters of reason our knowledge is provisional and prone to error. As regards revealed truths this does not happen. These truths come from God Himself, who can neither deceive nor be deceived. We have received an inheritance from heaven and have no right to change it in the least. We must accept the truths of faith as they are, without giving any part of them away.
St Thomas Moreās behavioural code embraced this ardent love of liberty and holy intransigence regarding non-opinable matters. He was prepared to yield in favour of the common good when personal issues were at stake. He knew how to be intransigent when it came to doctrine revealed by God and taught by the Church. Once he had exhausted all licit human resorts he was faced with the final option of following either the judgment of men or the dictates of his Christian conscience. He held firm to the point of giving his life.
Charity in our conversations with other persons.
While I am constantly asking you to act freely, I also say that you should not mistreat anyone in order to exercise your freedom. Our lives are always spent closely bound to other persons with whom we share concerns and worries. We have an ongoing dialogue with our equals, either in family living, social or professional encountersā¦ We should be understanding, open and sincere with everyone, since we have authentic friendships.
Making our society more just is a task we all share. None of us possesses a panacea for solving the worldās problems. For that reason, we need to gather forces in a united and noble effort. This desire will lead us to yield our own viewpoints willingly in favour of better judgments, or simply, for the sake of harmony. My children will know how to side with the Church in everything. Their spiritual and doctrinal formation will make them sensitive to correct criteria as regards their options in temporal matters. They will be humble and quick to rectify when they see they have made a mistake. Donāt forget that nobly rectifying personal errors is one of the most human and supernatural ways of exercising personal freedom.
Love for freedom and holy intransigence are two diverse aspects of the respect we should have for everyone. I always like to insist, so you grasp the idea very clearly, that Church doctrine is not compatible with errors against the faith. But canāt we be loyal friends of those who are in error? If our moral behaviour and doctrine stand firm, canāt we all āpull the cartā in the same direction, in so many other areas?
Our Lord wants us to sow the seed of understanding, charity and pardon along all the paths of this earth: in hoc pulcherrimo caritatis bello, in this most beautiful war of love, pardon and peace.
Let us ask our Mother in heaven, Virgo fidelis, and this holy intercessor of the Work, for that combination of firmness and charity which is so necessary in apostolic work. We entrust our relations with civil authorities to them.