Hunting and Faith
Every hunter recognizes that the whitetail deer is a master of receiving and rejecting.
Cardinal John Henry Newman called this “the power of assimilation.”
The power of assimilation indicates that the whitetail deer does two things well to stay alive and to flourish. The deer takes in from the ecosystem all that helps it to flourish and resists what can harm it in that same ecosystem. Simply put, the deer must properly receive and reject.
This is true of not just whitetail deer though. Every organism on planet earth can be analyzed through “the power of assimilation.”
In “The Development of Christian Doctrine,” Newman indicated that the Catholic Church shares traits with the organisms seen in nature. In continuing to exist throughout the centuries and in various cultures, the Catholic Church must constantly assimilate within the world. The Church must take in from the surrounding culture what can help it to flourish, and the Church must resist what can harm and divide it.
Like the deer which consumes acorns, apples, grass, etc. in its environment, the Church takes in various aspects of the surrounding culture in order to flourish. We see this in language, music, literature, architecture, customs, and much more. Paul VI commented on this aspect of the Church, “when she [the Church] puts down her roots in a variety of cultural, social and human terrains, she takes on different external expressions and appearances in each part of the world” (Evangelii Nuntiandi). The Church, therefore, expresses itself differently in Vietnam than it does in Germany, Cameroon, France, Brazil, and Northwest Pennsylvania.
Like the deer which resists various diseases, predators, and other threats, the Church must also resist certain aspects of the wider culture. The Church must resist both ideologies which misunderstand the nature of the human person and economic systems which are not oriented toward the common good but rather to the personal interests of the wealthy. The Church must also resist violations of human rights (e.g. freedom of religion, life, liberty, etc.) and especially that which disregards the lowest members of society.
We read in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians his organic understanding of the Church: “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ” (1 Corinthians 12:12). Paul also adds, “if one part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy” (1 Corinthians 12:26). Cardinal Newman was not wrong to liken the Church to an organism.
With the examples of the deer and the Church in mind, it might be wise to consider the power of assimilation in our own lives. This can be done in connection with every aspect of our lives: our friendships, hobbies, diets, and occupations, our use of social media, our music, literature, and consumption of entertainment, our political viewpoints, and much more. What do we need to reject in order to remain healthy and alive? What do we need to take in so that we may flourish?
Ben Daghir is a transitional deacon for the Diocese of Erie from St. Marys, Pa. He grew up hunting and fishing with his family in Elk County. He credits archery hunting during his high school years as encouraging him to take in the beauty of nature and simply listen to God’s voice. He currently studies at St. Mary’s Seminary & University in Baltimore.