Studying history is important for three reasons. First, historical memory is essential for understanding who we are as individuals, as families, as communities, and as peoples and nations. Second, having a sense of our history enables us to discover why we have certain traits — why we are the way we are! And third, we can discern and apply lessons from the past to inform prudent decision-making in the future.

Studying Church history is no different. When we study the history of the Church, we learn who we are as Christians and gain a stronger sense of our own identity as the people of God. We can discover why we do things the way we do as Christians, why we believe the things we believe, why the Church is structured and organized in the way she is, and why her relationships with outside individuals and groups are the way they are. And when we study the history of the Church, we inform ourselves so that together as one people of God we can forge a path into the future that builds upon the successes and failures, wisdom, and traditions of the past.

History and Humility

Of course, it is impossible to forge this path without humility. A lack of humility about the wisdom of our own age and the limits of our own knowledge lead to the assumption that history is “progressive” — that individuals and peoples become more enlightened and more just as time passes. It is important to guard against this bias in any study of history, because it necessarily leads us to wrongly assume our intellectual and moral superiority to those who came before us, and therefore robs us of the chance to truly learn from the past.

In order to help your students gain a more authentic study of history, encourage them to practice historical thinking. Historical thinking means assessing historical events within their context rather than in isolation. This way of studying history encourages critical thinking, and helps guard against the temptation to judge or even condemn people in the past based purely on our own position in history.

Questions one might ask to encourage historical thinking include:

• During the time of the bubonic plague, what did people know about sanitary practices? What were the common treatments doctors offered?
• What had been going on in the Holy Land for hundreds of years leading up to the pope’s call for a Crusade?
• How was life for a Christian in Syria different from the life of a Christian in France?
• If the government charged you with a crime during the Middle Ages, what could you expect to happen to you?
• How did the Church court known as the Inquisition compare with government courts? Were its sentences lighter, or harsher?

History and the Saints

For any study of history to be worthwhile, it must include but not be limited to names, dates, and events. It must lead to an understanding of what makes the Church the Church and how those qualities have shaped who she is today and where she’s going in the future. Over the centuries, many holy men and women have had a great impact on the liturgy, doctrine, and hierarchy of the Church. We study the history of the Church not only through the development of these aspects of the Church, but also through the stories of the saints and their great love for God, others, and for the Church.

Jesus desired that His Church be indefectible. Jesus made one of His boldest, most important promises to us: “The gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against” the Church (Matthew 16:18)! Not only will she last until the end of time, but her liturgy, doctrine, and hierarchy will not be corrupted from outside or from within. Although the culture might change (and it has many times throughout the Church’s history), the attitude people have toward the Church might change (and it has many times throughout her history), and even the size, influence, and means of the Church might change (and they have many times throughout her history), the Church will continue to exist as a communion of believers who are united by common liturgy, common doctrine, and lawful pastors, as founded by Jesus Christ, until the end of time. We, the faithful, should take great comfort in this knowledge.

Sometimes it can seem as if the forces of the world are stacked against the Church, that the Church is outdated, and that she needs to “get with the times.” Legal and cultural mores are often contrary to what the Church teaches, and the world around us fails to treat everyone with basic human dignity. But, no matter how much of an uphill battle things might seem, Jesus promised us that the Church will be victorious. Nothing will prevail against the Church: on the last day, she will remain standing