Roads and Adventures

“But though his fear was so great that it seemed to be part of the very darkness that was round him, he found himself as he lay thinking about Bilbo Baggins and his stories, of their jogging along together in the lanes of the Shire and talking about roads and adventures. There is a seed of courage hidden (often deeply, it is true) in the heart of the fattest and most timid Hobbit, waiting for some final and desperate danger to make it grow…

 The current situation in the Church often reminds me of the books I grew up reading, where ordinary folk encountered great dangers, and somehow survived and flourished.    This kind of storytelling is very much embedded in Christianity.   You don't see it so much in the pagan literature, though there are sometimes hints and glimmers.   

 As we heard in the Novus Ordo readings last Sunday, 

 but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

Though there are many troubling things about the times, and popes and others have warned us to stay vigilant, there are many signs of hope.    

The following is from Lumen Gentium -- it says much the same as Canon 212, but in more pastoral and idealistic terms:   

 37. The laity have the right, as do all Christians, to receive in abundance from their spiritual shepherds the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the assistance of the word of God and of the sacraments (6*). They should openly reveal to them their needs and desires with that freedom and confidence which is fitting for children of God and brothers in Christ. They are, by reason of the knowledge, competence or outstanding ability which they may enjoy, permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on those things which concern the good of the Church (7*). When occasions arise, let this be done through the organs erected by the Church for this purpose. Let it always be done in truth, in courage and in prudence, with reverence and charity toward those who by reason of their sacred office represent the person of Christ.

The laity should, as all Christians, promptly accept in Christian obedience decisions of their spiritual shepherds, since they are representatives of Christ as well as teachers and rulers in the Church. Let them follow the example of Christ, who by His obedience even unto death, opened to all men the blessed way of the liberty of the children of God. Nor should they omit to pray for those placed over them, for they keep watch as having to render an account of their souls, so that they may do this with joy and not with grief.(211)

...let the shepherds respectfully acknowledge that just freedom which belongs to everyone in this earthly city.

A few expansions in this text, compared to the terser Canon.

spiritual goods are specified-- "especially the assistance of the word of God and of the sacraments", --whereas they were only alluded to in the canon.  The laity are " to receive in abundance" these spiritual goods.

the faithful are to express their needs and desires, mentioned in canon 212, with the "freedom and confidence which is fitting for children of God and brothers in Christ. "

they are "permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on those things which concern the good of the Church".

this is, as in the canon, "by reason of the knowledge, competence or outstanding ability which they may enjoy"

(footnote 7 here refers to an allocution made by Pius XII to journalists.  It was the one on February 17 1950 which is apparently not available in English, but I am going to read it next, since journalism seems closely connected to today's internet content-creating. )

"When occasions arise, let this be done through the organs erected by the Church for this purpose. Let it always be done in truth, in courage and in prudence."   This part is a bit different from the 1983 Code, and I don't know whether that is because lay journalism expanded in the next couple of decades, or if it's reflective of the different purposes of the two documents.    Anyway, the character requisites sound like good qualifications.  Organs erected by the Church presumably means outlets sponsored by the ecclesial authorities.   Glancing at Lumen Gentium, I see that Christ is called the divine organ of salvation and the Church is also called an organ of salvation.  

"with reverence and charity toward those who by reason of their sacred office represent the person of Christ."   This is very close to, but somewhat more expansive than, the similar exhortation in the canon.

The last part I quoted emphasizes again the "just freedom" of Christian citizens, and obliges the pastors to recognize it.   There is more later in Lumen Gentium about the obligations owed by the hierarchy to the faithful.  Their responsibility is higher and they are considered as servants of the servants of God.   Their authority is *for* us, under God, and not *over* us as such.  

The middle paragraph expands on the obedience, in imitation of Christ's obedience to the Father, that we owe the spiritual leaders, and also the prayers needed for their ministry.   

And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.  Philippians 2:8

So here you find the basic parameters.   The christifideles are not slaves or thugs.  They are free in Christ, but part of true freedom is to choose this day who you will serve.   That would be Christ, of course.   But He has called us friends, no longer servants.  That means our service to Him is in imitation of His service to us, and to the Father.  

Friends can speak to friends of the truth, in charity.  In fact, sometimes they are obliged to.

Sometimes the earthly representatives of our Friend do not act like true representatives.  Yet we still owe them respect as those representatives, albeit imperfect.   We are showing respect to Jesus.  Even if we suffer -- even if the earthly representatives punish the good ones, as they often did in the Arian days, and the iconoclast days, and so on -- that doesn't mean we have to become like them.

When there is freedom, there is some freedom to make honest mistakes.    From looking at Scriptures, it seems pretty obvious that God is patient with mistakes, with even sins heartily repented.   Even with deep-seated character flaws, even fleeing from His call like Jonah and Elijah did.   What He is impatient with, consistently, is idolatry in all its forms, with infidelity, with the kind of hardness of heart that the Israelites showed at Meribah:

where your fathers tested and tried Me,

though they had seen My work.

So I do not think God scorns to work with the imperfect, stumbling efforts of the Christian faithful to proclaim and defend the truth, as long as their love of self does not distort their message and make it just another form of idolatry and defiance.   

I definitely think this is an area that needs a lot of prayer! both for the spiritual leaders and for the laity.