On The Harmony Between The Bishops And The Faithful

Think about that passage long enough, and you might start to feel a little sad.  That very last part--the harmony between the bishops and the faithful--kind of sinks in like a big chunk of lead in your soul.  Not because we don't see it enough in our country, but because we're seeing all too much.  But we're not seeing it in the light of God's Word.  

Just to give you an example (it might not be the best example, but it's certainly a typical one), millions of church-going Catholics believe it's okay to use contraception.  Priests are teaching that it's okay.  And the bishops are either pushing the agenda, or not doing anything to fight it.  You see, the majority of Catholics are in agreement.  There is harmony between the laity and the church leaders.  But it's not harmony in truth.

So what's a person to do?  If we try to live for the truth, we're out of sync.  We screw up the "harmony".  We cause waves and discord, and we become the kind of trouble makers who don't want to see 'unity' in the Church.  Hey, don't listen to that kind of talk, and don't let it bring you down.

Our current situation isn't anything new.  God's Church, here and there in different parts of the world, has slipped behind before.  Consider England, just before the birth of the Church or England.  It wasn't a one-time event that brought most of the English clergy to break away from Rome.  It was a gradual decay of Catholic discipline.  And that's just what we're seeing here.

Where does it stop?  Abortion?  Euthanasia?   Genocide?  These might seem like stretches, but they are the logical conclusion to a world not guided by God.

The good news is that we ARE guided by God, and that's why we can't bother ourselves with remaining in unity with sinful teachings.  Right now, a lot of people (even archbishops) have chosen to ignore His guidance.  People have given up on the idea of providence.  But God has by no means given up on us.  He still hears our prayers (as in the prayers of those who are seeking the truth in its pure, unaltered state) and he will not let his entire Church fall under the spell of Satan.  Yes, big groups of people might, but the Church itself will continue.

As for the harmony between the faithful and the bishops, just try to keep in mind that the harmony will only sound beautiful when it works with a beautiful melody.  Stay with the song.  Stay with the teachings of Christ.