14 June 2022

Make disciples of all men

 I have found myself in the middle of several arguments again between various Catholics groups.  The short version is that each group wishes to drive the other out of the church.  It is some confusion to me that our Church is dwindling, yet it is not small enough for many: they wish even more to be gone.

I regret to say that I have been on both sides of this argument.  There have been groups I have wished would pack up and leave, form their own church, or do whatever and just leave the rest of us in peace.  I have also been told I should pack up and leave myself. The result is that my own faith has become more isolated: I examine my own conscience, I go to Mass, pray, do my works as best I can, alone, and no longer look to others for support nor care for their criticisms.  We are supposed to support each other and, when necessary, correct each other, but what is happening now is often a travesty of that.  If I have driven others out, or snuffed a dying flame, I repent it. 

2 comments:

Kathleen1031 said...

You didn't ask my opinion but you're going to get it anyway.
Faith is not community.
When we get to the end, it's us and God. There's no community going out to meet him, it's one little soul going out to meet his Maker. All this yammer about community, it's got it's place, but it's been so overdone and over-emphasized. We are to evangelize where we can, refrain from sinning against out fellow man, do no harm, love all as much as we can, but people are challenging, and sometimes they can tap all the energy just by the division they bring. People put expectations on us, then we put them on ourselves, and pretty soon that becomes the center.
No one fails to love God because they can't get along with their brothers and sisters at times. And sometimes it's necessary to go it more or less alone. The love and worship of God comes first. If you have less left for Him because you're tapped out by others, that can be a time to limit what you're putting out. Take some time to step back, after a respite, look at things with fresh eyes and see if things need to be tapered off for your own spiritual good.
Right now life is so demanding. It takes an awful amount of energy just to keep things moving in the right direction. Our world is frankly disheartening and a real challenge for us to keep our balance. Be good to you. Pick and choose where your energy is going to go carefully. Do some judicious pruning.

Bear said...

I am not speaking of community, though that has its place. You should have noticed that I have dpoken of carrying on my faith alone,a s best I can. I am speaking of placing impediments in others paths. I am speaking of breaking into camps, each one determined to rid itself of the other. That never ends well. Even if one side were able to rid itself of the other, it would inevitably turn upon itself: After getting rid of those who don't follow their beliefs exactly, they will rid themselves who don't follow their beliefs exactly enough. And as for pruning we are required to do is that of ourselves. The confiteor does not say 'I confess to almighty God, and to you my brothers and sisters, that they have sinned...' We are very explicitly warned of the dangers of examining the consciences of others before our own.

My other concern is about the stumbling blocks our wars have put in the paths of others. If I were on the fence, or searching and pondering whether or not to convert or return, and I were to encounter the war between the wings of the Church, I cannot imagine that I would be encouraged to join.