Letter Two: Leave Your Opinions at the Door!
My Dear Family,
Around every family table, there is “table talk.” Much of it is easy conversation about the day, but sometimes it can get tense when opinions arise and passions are stirred. The truth about opinions is that they are the lowest form of knowledge. Opinions grow when we think our way through life based on our subjective experiences, and they inevitably come into conflict with others who think their way through their experiences differently. The more wedded we are to our opinions, the duller and more cantankerous we become. Our opinions can become idols, and where there is idolatry, there is always strife.
When we gather around Jesus, we must be willing to let go of our opinions, regardless of what they are. What matters most is how we think. Learning how to think is no easy matter. I will never forget the moment my doctoral advisor, at the beginning of my program, told me, “Mr. Worgul, you do not know how to think.” We all, no matter who we are, begin with untrained minds, and unless we learn how to think, we can never get out of the fog of our opinions.
Going forward, I ask you to trust Jesus and His Church, and let go of your opinions. I will do the same; it is not my intention to trade my opinions in place of yours. Jesus and His Church are inseparable, just as the head is inseparable to the body. Jesus and His Church do not teach opinion, but revelation, that is, truth revealed to us from God Himself. The Church is an expert on the human person. We must together pursue the mind of Christ and think our way through tough issues like Christ did. To achieve this, it will take an immense amount of faith and courage.
The challenge is that we are so wedded to our opinions that we confuse them with our very selves, our very identity. We fear that if we lose our opinions, we will no longer be our own unique persons. The truth is that our opinions just make us like everyone else in our “circle” parroting the same thing over and over, separating us from others, demonizing them.
We will look to the Holy Spirit to assist us in our efforts to think like Jesus. When the Holy Spirit teaches us to think like Jesus, we all, in some mysterious way, “come into our own.” Though we think alike, we all come out different; a unique expression of Jesus in this world. One of the meanings of “holy” is “unique.” Possessing the mind of Christ is not about opinions, but about holiness.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. John Worgul
Takeaway
We must not be people of opinion, but people of truth, as revealed by Jesus Christ.
Discussion Questions
- When you form your opinions, what influences you the most?
- Why do you think we often feel so strongly about our opinions, even when new information challenges them?
- What does it mean to you to go beyond personal opinions and seek revelation?