The Shadow Of The Cross (Lent Has Begun!)

I’m sitting here with various images and thoughts flashing through my head as I reflect on the church and the world in 2009. Sometimes I am tempted to wonder why the church even bothers to claim its identity as “God’s people” when we look little, if any, different from the dominant culture. We can be nice, generous, giving, etc., like any other secular civic organization devoted to positive purposes. We also can be mean-spirited, vindictive, racist, homophobic, exclusive, etc., like bigots and hate-groups.

What is the distinctive nature of the church supposed to be? Do we want to be distinctive? Or would we rather seek the comfort of the familiar, or the self-assurance of ethno-centric or socio-political affirming ideology?

The Old Testament story of the Tower of Babel frequently comes to mind, when people of faith seem desirous of equal status with God. Is the state of today’s church an indication of God’s response, similar to when the Tower fell?

The website, and a recent issue, of The Christian Century feed my ambivalence and anxiety. There is mention of the clamor and disunity within the Anglican church, as some have pulled out from the traditional communal covenants over social and ideological differences, yet desire to remain connected as a new body. Anglican leaders, holding the unfortunate title of “primates” wrestle with what to do, who’s in charge, and how they all will relate to one another. Signs of the church falling apart are not limited to the Anglicans.

In the snippets found in the section of the February 24 issue of the magazine version, called Century Marks, one can read this, attributed to a publication called Spiritual Life:

Though they were both Catholics, Dorothy Day and Cardinal Frances Spellman were polar opposites. Day was a pacifist, a onetime communist and an outspoken critic of American policies. Spellman was known for his social, political and theological conservatism. Yet Spellman was stunned when some American Catholics implored him to silence Day. In declining to do so, Spellman explained, “She might be a saint.”

I found it interesting, and rather hopeful, that Cardinal Spellman wasn’t willing to simply dismiss, correct, or otherwise invalidate someone with whom he had deep disagreements regarding spiritual or other issues. My observation is that too many of today’s “faithful” assume their own sainthood and readily, even eagerly, find reason to condemn those who have a different take on things.

It seems to me that Cardinal Spellman was leaving open the possibility that God may know better in the long run.

I always assumed, mistakenly or otherwise, that the church not only was open to this likelihood, but that it is called to promote the notion in our spiritual practice, our witness, and in our life together.

Why do so many within our ranks tell me it isn’t the case? Of what are they afraid? What are they avoiding?