And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets, others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers, to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry, for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood
to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery,
from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming.
Rather, living the truth in love...
It's easy to get lost like a puppy dog in high weeds when reading Saint Paul's long sentences. He sometimes wrote while serving time in a Roman jail and he could afford to let his creative mind run wild with inspiration. Reading his thought, we need to take a deep breath and parse his sentences to discover, amid all the ecstatic expressions, what he's getting at.
The above sentence, for instance, might be simplified to read, "God gave us church leaders so that we might no longer be infants."
Now there's a thought to give us pause, especially in the light of the clericalism that has only recently been denounced in the highest places of the Church, even as it's protected in some lower offices.
Clericalism would "infantilize" adult members of the Church. There are far more lay members of the Church -- deeply devout and fiercely dedicated -- than there are clergy. Many are ready to serve and eager to rise to potential challenges if only the patronizing, idle clergy would get out of the way.
But there are also many childish consumers who are willing to be "tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery."
The invitation and challenge for every adult Catholic, lay or clerical, is to search the mysteries of our faith ever more deeply. Our first and readiest guidance comes from our liturgy; that is, the Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, Eucharistic devotion, and the Sacraments, (especially the Sacrament of Penance/Reconciliation.)
These liturgical practices feed our personal devotions. Hearing the readings of the Mass, we want to study the scriptures. The Lord's Prayer encourages us to recite it privately, especially within the rosary, which also reflects our liturgical honoring Mary the Mother of God. Feast days of the saints pique our curiosity about the great cloud of witnesses who pray with and for us.
Finally, we want our personal devotion to reflect the deep mysteries of our faith, especially the Trinity and the Incarnation. We're not fascinated by ghost stories, we have no patience for Halloween culture which exploits our religious symbols. There are many who are still
"tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming."
They will inevitably suffer the consequences of their consumer religion. In his Divine Comedy, Dante described their unhappy plight in the outermost sphere of hell.
We want to live the Truth in Love, realizing that accepting the invitation will cost us more and more as we live more deeply by faith.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.