A thought that came to me in passing recently, while meditating on this Scripture passage: "At that time Jesus answered and said: I confess to thee, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them to little ones. Yea, Father: for so hath it seemed good in thy sight." (Matt 11:25-26)
I do count myself as a traditional Catholic, but I can still see somewhat of a distinction between how I approach, deal with and accept our faith versus that of other traditionals. Many I have known have a tendency (and often justified) to be on the defensive against the influence of progressive Catholics. In this I largely concur.
However, when it comes to using Church documents to support their position, many have a tendency to read things very literally. The one instance that jumps immediately to mind, just as an example, is the "Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus" controversy. My point here is not whether one is right or wrong in their understanding of that particular doctrine, but more about the underlying attitude that forms their understanding.
When a traditional Catholic gets "fundamental" about their interpretation of such a Church teaching, is it because they think they know more than others? Or, can we say that it is due to their "ignorance" that they hold such views? I don't think so. I do believe that the overwhelming majority of traditional Catholics belong to the class of "little ones" that Jesus mentioned. Their beliefs and sometimes actions are based on that "innocence" which knows intuitively what is right, defends it, and works toward its fulfillment.
Clearly, Jesus admonishes those who consider themselves "wise and prudent" - the ones who would dare to look down upon those unwashed Catholics whom they would almost consider to be standing in the way of progress in the development of the Catholic faith.
Remember, the issue here has nothing to do with interpretation, or even who is right, but just the attitudes that form our positions and judgments. For the educated class, there is no escape from the fact that Jesus' words are quite a direct and harsh indictment of those who think they know best. I think we would do well to recall this when we engage in dialogue with others we might deem "too simplistic". We need to make sure that we don't mistake "innocence" for "ignorance", because when it comes to those devout Catholics who have an intense and real commitment to their faith, it's inconceivable that the latter would be the cause of any apparent lack of knowledge.
