Expert: Griff Ruby - 3/10/2008

Question
Do most Catholics believe that truth or our perception of it changes daily? Or that there is only one ultimate truth? And if there is one ultimate truth, are Catholics aware of it? Or do they have faith that there is answer even if they don't know what it is...

Also, for what reasons would a Nun or Sister be thrown out/leave the ministry? Is doubt enough?

I know that these seem to be very random and vast questions, but it is for a school project (I go to NYU) and am more so looking for personal opinions rather than anything factual, backed up with scripture, etc. I would truly just be interested to hear what you, as a Catholic, think and believe. Any response is welcome.

Thanks so much.

Answer
To be Catholic (in the sense as taught by the Church) and not merely calling oneself some word that means nothing to one means that one believes that there is an ultimate truth, and that God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, is that truth, along with all that He and His Church and Scripture teaches.  There is much more that is true, the whole range of detailed doctrines pertaining to the coming of Christ in this world (the Incarnation, Diety of Christ), to the nature and history of mankind (Created perfect, fell from grace in Eden), to the world of Heaven and of God (angels, thrones, dominions, and also demons and how they came about), to the Church (indefectible, the Mystical Body of Christ), to the reliability of God and all that God speaks through (infallibility of Scripture and of the Pope), and so forth.  One is expected to learn at least the basics as to all of these and more, and yes it stands to reason that there is an infinite amount of such detail that only an infinite mind could ever fully comprehend, but that we should learn what we are able and accept it fully, and by implication accept all that we have not learned but which comes from the same source.
To be in this world is to be confronted with doubt on all sides, and a certain small amount of it is unavoidable even as any other temptation is unavoidable.  Only yielding to it is the sin, and one yields to doubt by deliberately spreading doubt to others, sowing division and confusion, and so forth.  A person doing this but claiming some ministry or apostolate would not be doing their job but should be put out or else leave.  But there are any number of other reasons why a person might not belong in an order, for example if they show no morals in their personal life, betray the cause, disobey the leaders, and so forth.