Development of doctrine

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

FROM the Book of Proverbs (cfr. 30,5-9) which is the first reading of the Mass on Wednesday of the 25^th Week in Ordinary Time, we are told that “every work of God is fire tried: he is a buckler to them that hope in him. Add not anything to his words, lest thou be reproved, and found a liar.”

This, of course, means that we have to be ever faithful to God’s word which was revealed, nay, embodied by Christ himself who is the very Word of God. That is why Christ is referred to in some popular parlance as the Divine Word. We should never dare to change it.

But then again, to be faithful to God’s word does not mean that his word is something frozen, solidified or static and does not admit of a streaming dynamic. We are told in the Letter to the Hebrews that “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (4,12)

This means that the word of God will continue to show us more lights and greater and deeper understanding of things as we go along in our life. It needs to be unpacked and unboxed, its content made to be expressed in ways adapted to the varying situations in our life.

That is why there is such a thing as development of doctrine which means that the teaching of Christ, and now taught as doctrine of the Church, can become more detailed and explicit with the later statements of doctrine remaining consistent with earlier statements. There is some kind of continuity involved.

It’s not about changing the doctrine, but rather that the doctrine of Christ which should never change can develop as it impacts with the changing circumstances of the world. In a sense, development of doctrine is a progressive articulation and understanding of the same doctrine.

Development of doctrine is a way of adapting the same doctrine to the different circumstances and situations we can find ourselves in while still remaining consistent to its original sense and meaning.

Of course, the key to this dynamic and progressive fidelity to God’s word is the living and vibrant relation, nay, identification with Christ. That is to say that we have an authentic love of God which can only take place if we constantly look for Christ, find him, serve and imitate him, and making him direct and shape our daily life.

An example of development of doctrine is the articulation of the social doctrine of the Church. It was not directly articulated by Christ, but it definitely brings the true spirit of Christ into our social life in all its dimensions—from the family to our business and politics and to the most global aspects of our earthly life.

In fact, with our increasingly challenging times, it is imperative that the social doctrine be systematically taught far and wide, its corresponding virtues developed and its appropriate structures and network built up progressively.

Given that living the Christian spirit in our social life is most tricky, it is necessary that the Church’s social doctrine be integrally learned and assimilated. Otherwise, we’ll have a terrible mongrel that can cause more evil than good.

Anyway, what is truly important is that we learn to discern his presence and his constant interventions in our life. We need to develop certain practices of piety so that we also can properly and actively correspond to his constant interventions of love for us.

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com