I mean, what a sweet deal for those who hold or want power
Yeah, it could be as you say. There is no check other than God. There is no guarantee other than His promise. You rightly point out potential for abuse, and certainly there are plenty of examples where that potential has been actualized. Of course, it doesn't make the headlines or the history books when it is NOT actualized. Nobody splashes "Catholic Parishioners, Clergy in Love with Jesus" across the top of page one. But out polity encourages us to hold nothing back, to stake everything on God and His promise.
I have to look at our former Bishop, Walter the Pink, and his poorly concealed socialism and "Spirit of Vatican II" discomfort with orthodoxy. I have to engage with "Father Joe" and his bitterness at his own "issues" and his need to re-write the liturgy to suit his notions of how it should be. Protestants like to condemn flowing robes, and let me tell you, if they are polyester adorned with cheap and tacky appliques, I'm right there with you.
But finally, after all the wry comments about the Gospel according to Marx and the abysmal hymnody and the art work which seems to suggest that the resolution of the iconoclastic controversy was that you may have images in church as long as they're banal and meretricious, after all that what this does for me is challenge me to put all my faith, to place all my bets, to stake everything on Jesus.
We are told we are institutionally faithless, but the institution itself in its very structure requires that we trust that, though all we see is the earthen vessel, yet there is treasure in it. There is nothing, not even the Bible, not even the Pope, between us and trusting God.
Protestants say we don't believe in the Bible, that we believe in tradition. I say that sooner or later in the Catholic Church it all comes down to trusting God and Him alone, not the Bible, not tradition as such, just Jesus and His promise, a promise no prudent or wise person would trust unless he were led by a Love which finally trumped his prudence.
Yeah, some power hungry perverts may be ripping me off. I'll take that chance.
Your honesty is breathtaking.. and quite honorable..
Superb phrase. So thankful I ran across it.
That's very true.
... after all that what this does for me is challenge me to put all my faith, to place all my bets, to stake everything on Jesus.
Amen, wise words for us all.
Thanks for your very thoughtful post. :) I think all Christians should take doses of getting back to basics very often. Every organized faith carries dangers of getting away from them.