Brethren, last month I discussed the notion of tolerance, briefly tracing its roots and describing the transmogrification of its meaning into something quite different these latter days, when tolerant people are held as bigots, and the libertine as paragons of virtue.
But what is tolerance and why should a Catholic Christian care? And should the definition of tolerance be different than the prevailing one? Answering these two questions are the subject of this post.
First, tolerance must be a conscious, deliberative act. It’s not an attitude as much as a choice; it’s not a benevolent indifference, but a habit, aimed at a specific subject simultaneous to the moment in which tolerance is called for. Therefore, the habit of tolerance should first be grounded on the psychology of human acts. An exercise in tolerance must be free act is voluntary, that is, proceeding from the will with the apprehension of the end sought, or, in other words, is put forth by the will solicited by the goodness of the object as presented to it by the understanding.
Second, the Catholic habit of tolerance should transcend mere human ethics and be an exercise in the infused, supernatural virtues of faith, hope, and love:
36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 37 Jesus said to him: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and with your whole soul and with your whole mind. 38 This is the greatest and the first commandment. 39 And the second is like to this: You shall love your neighbour as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depends the whole law and the prophets. (Matthew 22: 36-40)
And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)
Tolerance, then, should be for a Catholic a supernatural act and habit of applied love and a grace asked and received from God, who will not deny it to those who asked for it eagerly:
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. (Matthew 7: 7-8)
Third, the supernatural habit of tolerance must blossom into the practice of the cardinal virtues of prudence, justice, temperance, and fortitude. We do that by acting properly and with restraint before every person and situation, given each their due, and willingness to face the consequences.
Fourth, a Catholic definition of tolerance should be grounded on the intrinsic dignity of every human being, made in the image and likeness of God:
26 And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness, and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moves upon the earth. 27 And God created man to his own image; to the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1: 26-27)
Therefore, the primary object of our tolerance is our neighbor, made in the image and likeness of God, to whom we owe love.
The act of tolerance itself is twofold. The first aspect consists of not judging our neighbor even in the face of his patent sin:
1 Do not judge, or you too will be judged. (Matthew 7:1)
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2: 12-13)
The second aspect is restraint or fortitude in the face of an evil act, or a set of evil act. This restraint or fortitude is a virtue exercised through the Holy Spirit – at which point one is exercising a gift or charism – in which the intellect judges prudently the right means needed to stop or ameliorate evil.
22 There is no excuse for unjustified anger; it can bring about your downfall.23 Wait and be patient, and later you will be glad you did.24 Keep quiet until the right time to speak, and you will gain a reputation for good sense. (Sirach 1:22)
These right means through which we exercise tolerance are identical to the following works of spiritual mercy:
•To instruct the ignorant;
•To counsel the doubtful;
•To admonish sinners;
•To bear wrongs patiently;
•To forgive offences willingly.
The end or finality of tolerance is the same one as of practical, divinely-infused agape-love: the love of God and of neighbor now, and in the world to come.
I believe we now have enough elements to attempt a definition of tolerance that will provide useful guidance to Catholics:
Tolerance is that good habit – that is, a virtue – in which the Catholic Christian actively and consciously loves his neighbor, especially when the neighbor lives in grave sin, by avoiding judgment and showing him the same mercy the Lord shows us for our sins, as we choose the right means to eliminate or ameliorate the evil incurred in this world by the neighbor’s (and our own) actions, through the right exercise of the theological and cardinal virtues and the gifts of the Holy Spirit, so that both our neighbor and us might attain salvation and everlasting life in the world to come.
In a future post I plan to reflect on the different aspects of this definition. In the meantime, I welcome your thoughts and critiques!