The #CatholicTwitter Reformation

Photo by Andres Siimon on Unsplash

“‘Has no one condemned you?’ She said, ‘No one, Lord.’

And Jesus said, ‘Neither do I condemn you; go and do not sin again’”

-John 8:10-11

“Maybe you missed some of the conversation. In talking about the true presence of Christ in the Eucharist. If one is a so called Catholic but rejects that teaching, that one is a protestant or heretic, you choose. Read John Ch 6. Look up heresy.” -@DeaconWaugh on Twitter



“Heresy is the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt after the reception of baptism of some truth which is to be believed by divine and Catholic faith; apostasy is the total repudiation of the Christian faith; schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him” (Can 751).



Heresy is “the obstinate denial or obstinate doubt.” If a Catholic does, in fact, deny or doubt the Church’s teaching on the presence of Christ in the Eucharist, then that Catholic is a heretic. At this point, however, we come to three further considerations: intention, position, and authority.

Since only God can read the heart of a Catholic, what sign is there that the Catholic is obstinately denying or doubting the doctrines? Also, in today’s pitifully catechized Church here in the United States, is it not more likely, that the Catholic with the doubts is poorly catechized and is not, truly, a heretic? Does not ignorance mitigate culpability?

This leads to the Catholic’s position in the Church’s hierarchy. There is a much greater chance that a lay Catholic is poorly catechized and confused about the doctrines concerning Our Blessed Lord’s presence in the Eucharist than that person is expressing an obstinate denial or doubt. Formal education in the United States produces a very materialistic-minded population, which is largely incapable of envisioning the existence of anything beyond their senses.

It is less likely, that an ordained member of the Catholic hierarchy, who denies the Lord’s presence in the Eucharist, is operating from a position of ignorance. Since “the bishops who are in communion with the head and members of the college, whether individually or joined together in conferences of bishops or in particular councils, do not possess infallibility in teaching, they are authentic teachers and instructors of the faith for the Christian faithful entrusted to their care" (Can 753), bishops, and by extension, their priests and deacons, should have a firm grasp on these doctrines and a real joy in teaching them. Seminary formation, however, may be worse than the catechesis of the laity, so, again, is it heresy or poor formation?

While declaring who may or may not be a heretic may be great fun for some, the authority to definitively declare a particular Catholic to be a heretic belongs to the Church. In conversation with the Twelve, Our Lord taught them, ““If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 15-18). In these four verses, Jesus Christ tells us to go to our brother, who is in sin, alone, at first, and talk with him privately. If he persists in his sin, then bring one or two others with you. If your brother persists in his sin, then you take your brother to the Church and let the Church talk with him. If your brother still persists in his sin, then the Church excommunicates him. Both the authority to make the determination to excommunicate the persistently sinful brother and the authority to excommunicate the persistently sinful brother belong to the Church. Christ, in verse 18, makes it abundantly clear, that He is giving that authority specifically and solely to the Twelve and their successors. No priest, no deacon, no layman has the authority to declare a Catholic worthy of excommunication or to excommunicate him. Only a bishop has that authority.

A couple of other aspects of this verse are the attitude between the sinner and the one he has wronged, namely, brotherhood, and the preservation of the dignity of the sinner throughout the process. Brotherhood assumes a level of intimacy and love, which looks to the good of the other in all things. This is the reason the brother, who was wronged, is talking with the brother, who sinned. It is out of love for his brother, that the one wronged goes to the brother, who sinned, and asks him to repent. The one wronged does not want to see his brother separated from the fount of all graces in this life and damned for eternity after death. This discussion and appeal is done in private. Even if one or two others have to be brought in, everyone involved are still brothers and the matter is still held in the strictest of confidence. If, finally, the matter has to be taken to the Church, the process still respects the dignity of the sinner until the Church has determined that the sinner intends to remain persistently in his sin. It is at this time, that the persistent sinner is publicly excommunicated.

The issue with @DeaconWaugh’s tweet isn’t so much his take on heresy, because his example of heresy is correct. He goes too far by intentionally and publicly using “so called Catholic,” “protestant,” and “heretic” as pejoratives. @DeaconWaugh has condemned and excommunicated Catholics without the authority to do so and without the due process the Church does grant to those suspected of promoting heresy. He has completely ignored the very words of Christ in the Gospel by taking upon himself the authority given by Christ only to the bishops and by dispensing of the charity Christ demands. The job description of a deacon provided in Acts 6:2 (serving tables) says nothing about determining heretics and excommunicating them. Deacons are to be “of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom” (Acts 6:3). What wisdom is there in condemning people the Spirit is sending for instruction?

When St. Joseph erroneously believed, that the Blessed Virgin Mary had sinned, he didn’t publicly upbraid her with pejorative epithets. No. “Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to send her away quietly” (Matthew 1:19). His love for Mary meant the preservation of her dignity was of paramount importance to him. Once the angel corrected him, the preservation of Mary’s dignity remained of paramount importance to him.

To the contrary, who are the ones least concerned about preserving the dignity of sinners and achieving their repentance and salvation? “The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst they said to him, ‘Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?' This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him” (John 8: 3-6). During this entire incident Jesus protects the dignity of the adulterous woman. He then brings her to repentance and salvation. We know this, because the Sacred Scriptures record, that she was one of the women of Jerusalem, who cared for Jesus. Despite her adultery, Jesus never called her a “so-called Jew” or a “Samaritan” or a “Gentile.”

What burned my sagebrush about @DeaconWaugh’s tweet was what burns my sagebrush about so much on #CatholicTwiter: rage and hatred disguised as defense of the faith. There is so much wrong in the Catholic Church today. It boggles the mind and breaks the heart to think of it all. Instead of finding constructive solutions to the true evils and problems present in the Church, then putting those solutions into action with great charity, hope and faith, it seems #CatholicTwitter finds it much easier to conduct stake burnings. Granted. It is easier and more satisfying to vomit 280 characters or fewer of righteous condemnation than it is to find a little humility and do what you can with what God has put in front of you where you are. After all, catechizing 6th graders doesn’t get you a whole lot of likes and retweets. These are the kinds of tasks we are called to do within the Kingdom, because almost no one on #CatholicTwitter has the knowledge, education, training, experience, wisdom, and AUTHORITY to be declaring anything or anyone in the Catholic Church as heretical or protestant or invalid or illicit or whatever else. I can’t remember the gentleman’s name, but Church Militant has featured the work of one man in bringing pedophile clergy to justice. The fact, that I can’t remember his name, but I can remember his work, is the point. He’s working humbly and with great faith to accomplish a great work, which needs to be done, within his station in life and within his position in the hierarchy. If you are in doubt as to what to do, then pray until God places something before you. It may be as simple as helping a drunk beggar, who is asking you to get to a treatment center. Who knows?

God has plans for you. There is an infinitesimally small chance they include Twitter.