We, Bill Markham & I, watched a PBS broadcast about Martin Luther last night. I figured it would be slanted in his favor but was surprised and delighted at the attempt to be unbiased. I even learned a few things I didnt know, which is something I love! Anyway, this prompted me to comment about the current situation of Christianity throughout the world today. We (Christians) are a far cry from what Jesus hoped & prayed for: ...that they all be one, Father, just as You and I are One. Nobody with any amount of intelligence can deny that we are very, very far from being one. Why? Because of our human frailties and revolt against all that Jesus hoped we could be. ALL of us! That notwithstanding, it is a historical fact that Jesus Himself only established One Church. What Martin Luther tried to do was to reform the corruption that he saw/perceived in the Church. He did so in what must have been good conscience. The results of his actions are still reverberating to this day; both the good and the not so good. My own opinion is that the Protestant movement has enriched Christianity in many ways. The study of Sacred Scripture became the cornerstone for the movement and has shamed many a Catholic. And rightfully so, as St. Jerome famously testified: Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ. We, Catholics, are taking the fact seriously and are in more earnest about studying the Bible ourselves. The other thing that I think the Protestants have shown us is how to reach out to others on a more personal level, rather than sitting back and expecting the institution to do all that for us. We are learning, PB2G! The downside of the Protestant Movement has been the divisions that have resulted. This is because if one becomes free to interpret the Sacred Texts according to ones own experiences/perceptions/understanding, a myriad of errors/contradictions are the inherent result. This is why, today, there are tens of thousands of different Christian Churches, all claiming to know the truth, but unable to agree on what it is! Christianity continues to splinter as more and more folks decide to break out on their own, Bible in hand. The real problem is that, for someone intent on following Jesus, the truth is that He never told anyone to write a book; He established a Church, which He called His Church, and gave that Church full authority, as a chief steward, over His Kingdom, until He returns again in Glory. Just as with His 1st Chosen People, the Jews, many sins were committed along the way. The Catholic Church has and must continue to confess her own sins and continually repent. I know that God never allows anything to happen without a plan in mind. He is always working to make things better. The Supreme example, of course, is in sending His own Son to take on the punishment WE deserve for disobeying Him, which we all have. Only God knows His own reasons for allowing this hideous disruption of His Kingdom. Still, I know He wants us all to learn from it and STILL desires that we all be one. They will know you are My followers because of your love for one another. This is surly the place to begin.
Posted on: Sat, 27 Dec 2014 18:24:20 +0000
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