The Light of Christ

The Light of Christ: An Introduction to Catholicism
By Father Thomas White OP
Catholic University Press, 2017
329 pp., $19.95
ISBN: 978-0-8132-2971-3

Father Thomas White OP, has written a book on the Catholic Church that is destined to be a classic. It is erudite yet written in an engaging style making it accessible to the educated layperson—which is the intended audience. And as Father White states in the introduction, the book is meant to be a companion to the faith, not an argument to convince. But, after reading it, even non-Catholics may be convinced that the Catholic Church is indeed the light of Christ.

Father White has already established himself as a known Catholic writer and thinker, with several books, many articles and an internet presence, including video presentations. He became interested in the Catholic Church while in college at Brown University and converted at age 22. He joined the Dominican order in 2003 and completed his master and doctoral work at Oxford. Father White is also one of the youngest members of the Pontifical Academy of the Immaculate Conception. He currently resides at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, DC.

The Light of Christ is a comprehensive overview of Catholic theology, with chapters on revelation and reason, the Trinity, Creation, and the Incarnation. The book concludes with chapters on the institution of the Church— the Mass, sacraments, priesthood, Holy Mary, social doctrine and Last Things. All topics are treated thoroughly and clearly without academic jargon or excessive footnotes. Father White’s skill as a writer and theologian come together nicely throughout the book. He always provides new and different insights on the topics he covers. This is his particular talent. That is what makes this book so good.

In the beginning chapters, he describes ancient Greek and Roman religions. These peoples accepted various gods because they were “multicultural” societies. As such, the ancient goal was not the pursuit of truth but rather social unity. Father White states that if there was one “truth” for ancient Rome, it was glory. This sounds much like the secular world today with its focus on tolerance and diversity, yet with an overarching goal of material wealth. It was the Jews and Christians (and heroic ancients like Socrates) who challenged this.

The author also emphasizes that secularism and materialism are not new. Rather, they are a return to ancient skepticism. Like the secularism of today, ancient skepticism is concerned with the world. Both are mundane.  The other side of skepticism is credulity—unexamined faith. This was present in the past and is also present today in Islam and some Protestant fundamentalist sects. Father White argues that the Catholic faith has always avoided these extremes. Faith and reason are always in harmony; one does not subvert the other.

Father White also criticizes the “dictation theory,” the belief that sacred writings are directly composed by God. Again this is found in Islam, Mormonism and certain Protestant fundamentalist sects. The author argues that the dictation theory does not allow for any intellectual scrutiny or inquiry. Catholics have always challenged such rigid scriptural interpretations. And again we see the balance between reason and faith. This approach to scripture is why the Catholic faith is the most intellectual of all the world’s religions.

Father White also explains why Catholics cannot accept the Bible as the sole basis of faith, as do Protestants. The Bible alone cannot stand up to the living (and mercurial) intellect of man. Understanding the Bible requires the Church, a unified authoritative Church that can maintain the living stream of Christian tradition in every age. That church is the Catholic Church.

Father White does not delve deeply into the debate over evolution in his section on Creation. He accepts many scientific premises and theories. That is not his focus. He shifts ground and makes the point that too much is written about how the world came into being, but little is said about its very existence. For Catholics, this is far more important. He states that “[t]he created character of all that exists is more fundamental than anything we can quantify or study in math or science.” The world we are given must be our spiritual focus.

The multiplicity of earthly life is itself remarkable. It begs for explanation and meaning. To the author, the meaning of Creation is already obvious in that this multiplicity is hierarchical, with humans at the apex. This is crucial to understanding our existence. Humans are different from all other life forms because they possess reason and will. And these are different not in degree, but in kind from any other earthly thing. What truly sustains our existence, our being, is the quest for human freedom which is essentially spiritual. This is what the Catholic Church—more than any other political or religious creed—has represented throughout all of its history.

Humans, unlike other living things, are also motivated by what is good. This goes beyond animal instinct—even our own. Humans again reveal their spiritual nature by pursuing goods that transcend the senses. It is this spiritual aspect to the human being that is key to understanding Creation and is something that eludes scientific explanation. That is why the book of Genesis should be treated as a metaphysical event. It should not be compared to or scrutinized by scientific theory.

To Father White, human beings are the bridge between the physical and spiritual realms. And humans are unique on earth in that they can commune with both realms. Humans are also a dynamic species, creative, restless, and always striving for perfection (God). This is through the pursuit of both knowledge and love. Here he sees a different type of evolution than a purely biological one. There is an “evolution” towards spiritual perfection (God). This is the great lesson of human history. It is a ceaseless effort to elevate the human condition despite original sin and constant setbacks.

This process has only accelerated with the birth of Christ—who is the essence of freedom—and has been maintained by the Catholic Church. Father White’s orthodoxy comes through clearest in his discussions of the Church. There is only one Church and that is the Roman Catholic Church. Thus, there can be no new religions (Islam, Mormonism) or reformation of the Church (protestantism). The deposit of faith was given at one time in history to the apostles. And it has been safeguarded by one church ever since.

Father White stresses the importance of the Mass and the sacraments to human salvation. The sacraments are both spiritual and material. Moreover they are patterned on normal stages of human life and on natural phenomena. Sanctification is another key element of Catholic life. It is the slow spiritual growth toward sainthood. And this also requires the sacraments and certain habits—namely the Christian virtues of faith, hope and charity. This takes time and naturally requires grace.

The author clearly shows how Catholic social teaching is also informed by natural reason. Key issues like war, capital punishment, abortion, and sexual behavior are all intrinsically moral issues. As such, widespread secular opposition to these positions can be expected.

Father White examines the perennial opposition to the Catholic Church throughout history. This is because the Church challenges authority—that of the state and now the individual. He openly admits that the Church has used violence to promote its authority, as in the Inquisition. But he reminds the reader that for most of history (including now) it is the Church and its members that have been persecuted.

On the Last Things, Father White explains heaven, hell and purgatory with his usual clarity and insight. He notes how all these doctrines existed since the early days of the Church and all have reasonable explanations. Heaven, the ecstatic union with God, the fulfillment of the Beatific vision, is articulated more clearly in Catholicism than in other religions. And similarly, purgatory is also a reasonable understanding of this life and how it determines our place in the afterlife. Purgatory is already begun on earth and so is the descent into hell, which Father White emphasizes is real as is, of course, damnation.

The author’s Thomistic vision—the importance of natural reason and law—comes through throughout this splendid book. Yet there is also the more subtle influence of John Henry Newman and his articulation of the illative sense. This is that type of reason that brings together many human experiences and creates a unified belief—for Newman, a belief in God.  Father White makes this case with his book as one clearly sees how the Catholic Church—its institutions, practices, and beliefs—has always articulated and defended the illative sense. That is why it remains the Light of Christ.