The Movement Away from Christ, the Church and Truth

There has been so much written lately about Andrew Sullivan's whines and laments as well as those of others who state that they are Catholics yet they are upset or discouraged by the election of Cardinal Ratzinger as our new Holy Father, or with the perennial teachings of the Church, especially with respect to the vice of Lust or one of its many relatives. Most of the rants and complaints, I have ignored, considering them to be little more than the incoherent tantrums of spoiled and arrogant children. So many people today, it seems, are willing and eager to embrace Christianity without the Cross - which is not Christianity at all, but a perversion of it.

How can it be that so many people who profess to be Catholic hold the position that the Holy Father and the Church are neither compassionate nor inclusive - or that the Church wishes everyone to be non-thinking beings following everything in lockstep with her decrees?

We read about this theologian, or that pundit, or some self-proclaimed “Catholic” newspaper or magazine telling us how the Church is not as embracing as Jesus was or would be if He were walking among us today. Rational people must, of necessity, dismiss this opinion as flawed and misleading, and an affront to the teaching authority which Christ gave His Church.

How many times have we seen children, spoiled by excesses and lack of discipline, stomp off in a fit to some remote area of the house when one has denied them some pleasure or privilege? And even adolescents and adults can be seen, at times, engaging in a similar manner.

I suspect that many of these people who are upset are actually deluded into believing something which they "think" they see. Of course, they are perceiving that the Church is becoming more and more distant. And they cannot reconcile the fact that Jesus would ever permit His Bride, the Church, to be in this position - moving farther and farther from where they think they are and where the Church should be.

However, we know that the Church has not moved from her unshakeable foundations – we have Christ’s promise about this. She stands firm and secure with her spouse, Jesus Christ, who is Truth, God Who is immutable, unchanging. So then, what explains this distance which appears to grow farther and farther with each passing day?

Imagine, if you will, that one is in his car pulling away from his home - perhaps he is even upset about something and feels the urge to "get away". Glancing into the rearview mirror, he sees his house becoming smaller and more distant. Of course, you know that his house has not moved, that it has remained fixed, secured to its foundation. Suppose one were to assert that his house were (actually) moving away from him, making it difficult for him to return home, would he not be viewed as someone who is slightly “touched”, a person who has difficulty perceiving reality?

Those who are crying out that the Church is exclusionary and distant are either being deceptive or they have been deceived. He looks at his rearview mirror while he exerts pressure on the accelerator, and asserts that the Church is fleeing from him. He appears to be oblivious to his own actions.

Our Lord calls to us to come to Him, not flee from Him. Those who are racing away from the Church are also racing away from our Lord. He does not force anyone to come to Him – He grants us sufficient graces to accept Him and to follow Him.

Those who are seeing the Church in their rearview mirrors should immediately stop, perhaps even to slam on the brakes – before the Church is completely out of their sight. One need only to turn around and make the trip back to the Church, stopping, if need be, for clear directions.

Those who have journeyed far from the Church and who can no longer see the Church or the road of return must stop and get their bearings if they wish to go back to the Lord. There are still those out in the world, though they are not of the world, who can provide maps and directions to guide these people back to our Lord and His Church. The Church is always there, in the same place where it has always been, built on the foundation that never fails – Jesus Christ.

When you see someone lost, do you not try to help him find his way? We must point out to our lost brothers and sisters the way back to Christ and His Church – to that place of safety and security, where Jesus calls all of us. The farther one strays from the Church, the easier it becomes to keep on going farther and farther away until one reaches a point where even hope is placed in jeopardy. The person becomes severely blinded by the darkness that surrounds him. By accepting God's graces, he may repent and return home to the Church. We should pray for the conversion of the hearts and minds of those who, through pride and arrogance or perhaps, even ignorance, are content to act like little spoiled children having one tantrum after another. Perhaps, also, a dose of loving discipline for those who are most offensive would be in order.

The fact remains that a Catholic is either a faithful, practicing Catholic or one is not. One's obligation as a faithful Catholic is to follow Christ by remaining faithful to Peter who speaks with Christ's authority, listening to him as he informs us of that which is right and wrong. As the Holy Father possesses the Keys handed down from Peter, from our Lord, we must remain rooted in the Church's teaching which is Christ's teaching. It is only by this humble act of conforming our wills to Christ's will that we shall experience that true freedom - the freedom from the slavery of our own pride and and freedom to choose the good and do that which we ought to do.