Orthodoxy and Orthopraxy:

Necessary Elements for Authentic Christian Living....

            Belief and Practice: they are intimately related and both necessary for authentic Christian living.  It’s seemingly very easy, in our fallen world of sin, to divorce the two from each other.  It’s easy to think, “If I believe correctly, then I’m obviously a good Christian.”  In the same vein, it’s easy to think, “If I’m doing the right things, then I’m obviously a good Christian.”  The reality is that we need to both believe correctly and practice correctly.  Correct doctrine (orthodoxy) without the proper consequent practice is dead, worthless, and ultimately pointless.  Correct practice (orthopraxy) without the proper prior doctrine will, in the end, prove to be fruitless, ineffectual, and ultimately meaningless.  It seems obvious that practice flows from belief.  We must be people follow the command: “practice what you preach,” otherwise we are lying to ourselves and not living in the truth of our faith.  This is in accord with the famous phrase, “Lex orandi legem credendi constituit,” translated as “the law of prayer constitutes the law of belief,” or as “as we pray so we believe.”  Prayer, that is, our “practice” as Christians, reflects our belief, and must reflect our belief in order to be authentic.  Likewise, our doctrine informs our prayer, informs our practice; it makes what we do meaningful and grounded in truth.  Let’s make a closer examination into this inherent relationship between orthodoxy and orthopraxy so that we might better understand the dynamic of authentic Christian living.

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            First: orthodoxy.  What exactly is meant by this word?  It is typically understood as “being of correct opinion or thought.”  It is that, true.  However, it might also be understood as “correct glorification” or “correct worship.”  This interpretation is merited from the word part, “doxy,” coming from the Greek, “doxa,” identified with “glory” in the Greek New Testament.  The word, “doxology,” common in our Christian liturgical vocabulary, is also derived from this “core” word.  Thus, to be among the orthodox means to believe correctly and/or worship/glorify God correctly.  As correct belief, orthodoxy means abiding in the faith of the Church, for instance, in holding fast to our faith in the Resurrection of Christ (cf. 1 Cor. 15:12-19), or as in generally holding fast to and professing our faith, without which it is impossible to please God (cf. Heb. 11:6).  As correct glorification, it means worshipping God in the way He willed to be glorified, particularly in our remembrance of the death and resurrection of His Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ, which we do in, with, and through the Church, “the pillar and foundation of truth.” (cf. 1 Tim. 3:15).  We worship God correctly when we worship Him as He instructed us, “in spirit and in truth” (cf. John 4:21-24), and when we follow His command to “Do this in memory of Me” (cf. 1 Cor. 11:24-29), regarding our celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist, the Blessed Sacrament of the Lord’s Body and Blood.   This “correct belief” and/or “correct glorification”/“correct worship” is absolutely necessary, because the living out of the authentic Christian life flows from this.  In other words, an authentic Christian life is the inevitable fruit of proper faith and worship.  We live as we should as Christians when we glorify God as we should, and when we profess faith that is in line with the sound teachings of our divinely-revealed faith.  But that is not all. 

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            We also need to have our faith and worship “meet” our daily life, that is, our faith must be “faith in action,” so to speak; it must be “lived” faith.  Orthopraxy, then, is the living out of our authentic Christian faith and worship.  In some sense, it can refer (in my opinion) both to the fruit of authentic worship and to authentic worship itself, insofar as worship itself might be described as the correct practice flowing from correct doctrine, or in other words, the proper glorification of God based as it is on our faith in who God is and our relationship to Him.  In understanding orthopraxy as authentic worship, as liturgy, we refer particularly to the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  Regarding the Most Holy Eucharist, if we receive the Body and Blood of Christ (truly changed by the power of the Holy Spirit acting through the priest who repeats the words of Christ at the Last Supper), presented to us at the Holy Mass as “The Body of Christ” and “The Blood of Christ,” to which we respond, “Amen,” (i.e., “So be it,” an assent of faith to the truth of what was just said), without faith, our practice of the faith is inauthentic and furthermore a lie to ourselves and a grave offense against God, since we say “Amen” but do not really mean it.  Our “Amen,” then, must be true, it must be real, and it must express our inward disposition of faith.  Our prayer is meant to reflect and shine forth our belief.  Simply put, prayer is faith in practice, in action.  It is essential that our prayer (i.e., our worship) reflect our belief; otherwise our prayer is inauthentic, meaning that it does not truly give expression to our belief.  Orthopraxy is authentic worship insofar as it is done with true faith and a sincere intent to give glory to God.

            In terms of authentic Christian living, in understanding orthopraxy as proper practice, the practice of our faith must reflect the genuine nature of our faith.  The way we live our lives is the fruit of our belief; our lifestyle expresses our faith, if we are indeed sincerely true to that faith.  Orthopraxy means following the “straight and narrow path” (cf. Matt. 7:13-14) marked out for us by Christ.  Again, it means authentically doing the will of the Father (cf. Matt. 7:21-23) and building one’s life solidly on rock by acting on the words of Christ (cf. Matt. 7:24-27).  If we fail to show ourselves as Catholics (i.e., Christians) in practice, can we really call ourselves Catholics (i.e., Christians)?  If you feel challenged and convicted right now, then good!  Of course, it’s not that we must necessarily live our faith perfectly (though, that, of course, would be the goal we strive to achieve), but it does mean that we should be doing the best we can to show ourselves as followers of Christ in the practice of our faith.  Our Lord said, “This is how all will know you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (Jn. 13:35).  A truly Christian life is evidenced in the practice of love for others, particularly as Christ loved us (cf. Jn. 15:12).  The eschatological witness of Matthew’s Gospel tells us that our judgment will be based on how we have responded to “the least” among us, and it is the Lord Jesus Christ who identifies Himself with these “least” living in our midst (cf. Matt. 25:31-46).  In fact, according to the above mentioned passage in Matthew 25, our whole salvation depends on how we’ve responded to Christ in our midst in the person of the poor, the naked, the hungry, etc.  If we take the eternal salvation of our immortal souls seriously, we must take the practice of our faith seriously.

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            So what is the point of the preceding discussion?  In the words of Saint James as given to us in the Letter of James, we read that “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him?” (James 3:14).  This is an excellent question.  Can faith, not manifested in works, save somebody?  What does Saint James say?  “So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 3:17; see also v.15-16).  Faith that is not expressed in action is dead faith, useless faith, and thus, probably not even “faith” properly so-called.  From the perspective of what has been said so far, what James says here is crucially important for us: “Indeed, someone might say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’  Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works” (James 3:18).  In slightly different language, Saint Paul also displays the close connection between faith and works, and it is readily applicable to our discussion here: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.  For we are His handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:8-10).  Of course, let’s not be confused here: we are NOT saved by our good works; we are saved by faith, but, as St. Paul says, we were created to walk in good works, and, as St. James says, faith without works is dead. 

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            So we can see here, then, that it is crucial to manifest our faith in practice…..faith must always be expressed in practice, and the practice must always be the fruit of our faith.  These things are necessary for authentic Christian living.  So, at this point, it may be good to do a little “self diagnostic” to see whether you’re living the authentic Christian life: where is your faith?  Is it or how is it manifested in practice?  What’s the fruit of your faith?  What’s the fruit of your Christian witness in practice?  What can you do to better express in practice your identity as a Catholic (i.e., Christian)?  Now is the time for you to live your faith “out loud.”  You are hereby challenged: let your faith be made known in the way you live your life…..there’s no other way to go!

~ Noah J.