I confess: I can't stand the reformer, the progressive do-gooder who is out to "change the Church"...to modernize it, update it, remake it in the image of his enlightened, fashionable ideas...in a stance of condescension, superiority, moralism, righteousness. Think the German synod!
Let's start with: What is the Church? It is a gathering of sinners, first and foremost. Now if you think you can change sin, or the sinner, or the conglomerate of sinners, then you need to change your medication!
More than that, though, without removing the dimension of sin, the Church is the Bride of Christ. She is passionately, tenderly, reverently, longingly loved by Christ. To be joined with Christ is to love His Bride: to cherish, serve, venerate, protect, and exult in her. NOT to change her!
Imagine a young woman is in love and engaged to a man with a drinking habit, and anger problem, and a history of promiscuity. She isn't worried: she loves him so much that she is sure her love will change him. Bad idea!
Imagine a Prince who is in love with a Princess. She has her problems but he sees in her loveliness, innocence, generosity, elegance, modesty, purity and holiness. The king's advisor has a different view: that she needs a lot of work...tutoring for sure, diet and exercise routine to lose weight and firm up the body, an entire makeover in fashion and hair style, and more. What would the Prince do? Obviously, he would have the advisor tarred and feathered, shackled, tortured, and thrown in prison.
Imagine you have a historic building: Washington slept here. It is a monument. You are NOT allowed to change the basic structure, rather you are obliged to maintain and protect it. That requires, of course, regular cleaning, preserving, and minor repairs. Yes you may rearrange the furniture. Were you to try to change the basic structure you would be arrested and imprisioned...and you would deserve it.
Of course the Church in her human dimension is sinful and in need of constant reform and conversion. But that mysterious process is the intimate relations of Christ Himself with His Bride which includes each individual soul and the Body itself. Jesus Himself, through the Holy Spirit, does indeed reform the Church, meaning each and every one of us. It is not for us to do so, even through some vague, global discusion group called synodality.
In his introductory remarks to the synodal process our Holy Father speaks about "the reception of new elements." New Elements? Bad, bad, bad idea! We can easily imagine the kind of "new elements" eager to intrude: cultural liberalism, critical race theory, LGBTQ pride, and the usual suspects.By contrast, authentic reform is always a return to the sources...ressourcement...to scripture, the fathers and doctors, martyrs and saints. It is a deepening, a purification, a growing of our already-given baptismal identity in Christ. It is simple: becoming holy, close to God, through all the standard Catholic practices of prayer, sacrament, service, fraternity.
On this journey into holiness, it is for us to join Christ in loving, contemplating, admiring, enjoying the Church. And to allow ourselves personally to be reformed and sanctified...by Christ through the Church, our mother, His bride and body.
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