This is one of those “saying all that so I can say this” posts, so hang in there.
I prefer to not live life stirring things up. Alas, doing so comes naturally. Take as an example my faith. Being that not-really rare but decidedly underpublicized entity known as a born again Catholic guarantees two things. One, the joy of life with Christ. Two, catching it from all sides.
To the non-believers I am anathema courtesy of holding fast to the tenet that God’s last name doesn’t start with a D and Jesus Christ isn’t a casual vulgarity. Add to that Catholicism and the intensity level cranks up a few degrees — “what about those pedophile priests?” You mean that minuscule speck compared to the total number of priests in the world about whom all I can say is may God have mercy on their souls for I have none? Next question, please.
Ah, but there’s refuge in the company of brethren. True… sometimes. While most fellow believers over the years have been blessedly nonchalant about my denominational path, there have been moments from both sides of the pew best summed up as “what are you doing hanging out with them?” scenes. Also, I’ve had more than a few interactive moments with fellow (whether they care to admit it or not) believers whose membership in the “I’m much more spiritually aware than you… uh, because I am concerned about you as a brother in the Lord” brigade have left them more than willing to slap me across the face with a glove-bound Bible challenging me to a theological duel due to that Catholic thing. “What about papal infallibility? What about the Immaculate Conception? What do you really believe?” What part of the Apostle’s Creed would you like me to explain to you? Come on already. We have enough opposition in the world to where skirmishes among ourselves ought to be the last thing on our agenda.
Anyway, said all that in order to set up why I’m about to quote the Pope. As to why I’m running a photo of a Pope teddy bear… well, just because.
There’s a Bishops synod currently taking place at the Vatican. It’s somewhat equivalent to a board meeting, only with even more speeches. But I digress. At said synod, Pope Benedict XVI played the boss card and took first turn at the podium. (Lest anyone’s hackles be raised by such flippancy, please be reminded I firmly believe if you can’t have a sense of humor about things without disparaging their seriousness you’re in for a miserable pinched-in life.) During his homily at the Mass which opened the synod, said board meeting being devoted to spreading the good news about the Good Book, Benedict made the following comments about the, uh, marvel that is modern society:
“Nations that at one time were rich with vocations are now losing their identity, under the deleterious and destructive influence of a certain modern culture,” the Holy Father noted in his homily.
“There are those who, having decided that ‘God is dead,’ declare themselves ‘god,’ taking themselves to be the singular artificers of their destiny, the absolute lord of the world,” he continued. “Clearing God away and not awaiting salvation from him, man believes he can do as he pleases and poses himself as the sole measure of himself and his action.
“But when man eliminates God from his horizon, when he declares that God is ‘dead,’ is he truly more happy? Does he truly become free?
“When men proclaim themselves absolute owners of themselves and lords of creation, can they really build a society where freedom, justice and peace reign?”
Benedict XVI answered the question in the negative, explaining that “the daily news amply shows” that with this vision “the will to power, egoistic interests, injustice and exploitation, violence in all its forms” spread. “The end of all this is that man finds himself alone and society more divided and confused.”
The Pope said that with this synod the Church wants to show the world “that evil and death do not have the last word, but Christ is the victor in the end. Always!”
“The Church never tires of proclaiming these glad tidings, as she does today in this basilica dedicated to the Apostle of the Gentiles, the one who first spread the Gospel in vast regions of Asia Minor and Europe,” he said.
To accomplish this mission, the Pontiff added, the Church’s “primary and fundamental” mission is to nourish herself on the Word of God. “In fact, if the proclamation of the Gospel constitutes her reason for being and her mission, it is indispensable that the Church know and live that which she proclaims so that her preaching is credible, despite the weaknesses and poverty of the human beings who constitute her.”
Citing St. Jerome, he added: “Whoever does not know the Scriptures does not know the power of God nor his wisdom. Ignoring the Scriptures means ignoring Christ.”
Focus for a moment on this sentence:
“In fact, if the proclamation of the Gospel constitutes her reason for being and her mission, it is indispensable that the Church know and live that which she proclaims so that her preaching is credible, despite the weaknesses and poverty of the human beings who constitute her.”
Regardless of denominational affiliation or lack thereof, all believers in Christ are part of the Church. While the direct meaning of this statement by the Pope is a call for all believers to know Scripture as best they can so they’ll know what they’re talking about when they’re talking about Jesus, look once more at the last part of what he said:
“… despite the weaknesses and poverty of the human beings who constitute her.”
It’s difficult to be more honest than that.
More on this tomorrow.
