To be a part of The Mystical Body of Christ calls us to a noble task. It is a demand that reminds us of our need to be a true reflection of Christ and His love. As Venerable Fulton Sheen once said "We can't claim to be Christian unless we reflect the Person, the mind, the will, the heart & the humanity of Christ". This demands great things of each member of the Church. These demands are those that rightfully can not be fulfilled by man alone but must be entrusted to our Lord in faith.
To keep the Church on Her course is not a matter of criticizing everything one perceives wrong with Her, but to seek and learn more about everything She truly is and what this means for each of us as followers of Christ.
Our duty above all is to love as Christ loved and to pursue the path He walked in our daily walk through wherever our lives lead us. We carry out the mission of the Church in a powerful way when we personally commit to living our lives authentically in pursuit of Christian virtues. We keep the Church on Her course by keeping ourselves aligned with the teachings of Christ. A true exemplar of this is the Holy Father Pope Francis.
It is difficult to navigate the internet these days without stumbling upon Pope Francis. Secular media in the western world has imploded with coverage and stories about the recent Papal visit to America.
As always there is heated talk and debate about what the Holy Father has said or has not said. We can remain attached to these words and to the absence of those that we wish he said, or we can turn our hearts and minds toward the One that our Holy Father is a reflection of.
As always there is heated talk and debate about what the Holy Father has said or has not said. We can remain attached to these words and to the absence of those that we wish he said, or we can turn our hearts and minds toward the One that our Holy Father is a reflection of.
It is alarming to me how many "devout Catholics" at times can be up in arms with criticism over the actions of our Holy Father. Such animosity toward his living out of the Gospel calls into question the authenticity of one's faith and perhaps exposes some vice(s) that need attention!
Pope Francis has repeatedly been misunderstood, poorly translated, and criticized. As too was Jesus. It is not the allure of political power nor a progressive desire that drives the Holy Father, it is the greatness of our Lord and the well being of the Holy Catholic Church entrusted to him. Many may have difficulty accepting the Catholic Church and what She demands through faith, but through a profound witness of living out the Gospel message those of us who claim to be Catholic can gently encourage another to encounter Christ. It can invite people beyond the idealistic and self-centred wants they may have of the Church and lead them to embrace the beautiful reality of what She already is. "Our duty is not to abandon ship but to keep her on her course".
The witness of Pope Francis this past week is much more than what he did or did not speak about. His actions and his presence reflect the love of the Lord and the truth of joy belonging to the faith alone that no script can proclaim. (CC)
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