Summer Camp Doctrine

One doesn’t usually associate Summer camps with intense intellectual life. At least I never did. Camp is usually time of making new friends and having a great time with them in lots of fun activities, contests, and, of course, sports. At Camp Bluebonnet for girls I served as chaplain for Mass and Confessions, but also moderated a Christian Doctrine class for the senior staff (teachers and medical professionals mainly) who I guess didn’t get to join in the fun games all the time. I was really quite surprised how people stayed awake during class, even toward the end of the camp, and on the last day of class we had an open Q and A session about some of the harder theological issues fscing today’s Catholics. Here are a sample of the questions, with my rambling answers.

Question: If, in the end, once in Heaven, everyone in Heaven is Catholic (a debatable view, but one I currently hold) is that because everyone has to convert to Catholicism to get to Heaven? Answer: The Church clearly teaches that people who are not Catholic can go to Heaven, but that Jesus is the only way to the Father, and Jesus set up the Church to facilitate that journey. Once a person is in Heaven, they are a saint, a member of the Church Triumphant, and thus now Catholic. Their entry is from the infinite Mercy of God and probably expressed in a Baptism of Desire or even Blood, in some cases.

Question: If all graces come through the Church, how is it possible that individuals outside the Church can be so holy, and individuals inside the Church (at times) so unholy? Answer: God is not bound by anything, including the sacraments, even Baptism. People can obviously attain a human goodness through living the human virtues (like justice or temperance) but true holiness requires grace from God. God can grant graces to anyone anytime, although sanctifying grace normally comes through the sacraments, and it is much more secure to seek holiness and friendship with God through the sacraments Jesus established, like Baptism or the Eucharist.

Question: Some people say, “Jesus was against organized religion, so I just read the Bible by myself.” What are some Bible-based responses to that statement and tips for these kinds of discussion? Answer: The Bible is the record of the God-organized faith of the Jewish and then Christian People of God. God organizes us with our freedom and step by step, but we are an organized people (ask anyone who plays on sports team). He gave us the sacraments and laws to follow, and he gave us the Apostles, who like St. Peter (“you are the Rock”) become the foundation of the Kingdom of God and the sure carriers of the truth to us about the meaning of life and salvation from sin and sadness. While geniuses like Aristotle thought it possible for some other geniuses to understand on their own the meaning of life and happiness, he thought most of us need constant, organized, education. The Church provides that need for organization and consistency by carrying out its mission to announce the Gospel and coach us in living it out in our ordinary lives. Above all the Church is a channel of God’s life (grace) within us.

So, there are a few of the concerns and inquiries of Camp Bluebonnet senior staff, and I am impressed. It always moves me to see that win or lose the camp competitions, what remains is our own personality guided and formed by the grace of God throughout our lives. Nothing else really matters in comparison. Just ask counselor Bill Murray in his famous camp movie scene (I do not recommend the whole movie)!