One of the most unsettling things that I have noticed among adult Christian men and women in the great confusion about the Bible, what it teaches, and what the Church teaches.
This is not confined to ordinary lay people, but to the clergy as well. I get confused as well. So often, when I go to conferences and seminars, I hear a lot about what the speaker believes, and not so much about what the Bible says or what the Church teaches.
I believe that all of us are drawn to God in Jesus Christ and that the main function of the Church is to facilitate that personal encounter. Yet, when I talk to people, they tell me that while they are drawn to Christ, they are repulsed by the many different interpretations presented to them by those who are leaders. How can one leader say that such and such is a sin and that others think you are dumb for being concerned? How can leaders claim that God is merciful and that almost all people will go to heaven, when Jesus says that the road to heaven is not easy? How can those who teach morality be so immoral and have differing opinions?
It seems that everyone is left to decide for themselves. I get asked often what I believe and too often I have given my opinion, but I preface it with the notion that it is my opinion and not what the Church and Bible teach. I sometimes just add to the confusion. I try to reference the Bible and the Catechism, but don’t always get it right. How often does it happen that opinions from leaders differ so widely? Does anyone really know?
So, like so many of us Christian adults, I have to say that I am pretty sure about my faith and what the Church and Bible say, but not always really sure. I want to share my faith, but if I am not a hundred percent sure, could I not be leading others astray? I feel so often that I’m out of my league. Sharing the Gospel is above my paygrade. A big question for me as an adult Catholic Christian is not what my opinion is, but just what exactly does the Church and Bible teach about any particular issue, belief, sin, and holiness? How can I be a good follower of Jesus if my understanding has been muddled by so many differing opinions? How can I be a good follower of Jesus if my understanding of belief, morality, and sacraments is what I had in the eighth grade or when I graduated from high school?
I am at the point that I no longer want to hear somebody’s opinion about God, I want to experience him. I want to know definitively what the Bible says and what the Church teaches. There ought to be some unity and continuity. How can I accept, or perhaps reject, Church and Bible teaching, if I don’t know exactly what it is? I don’t want to share opinions. There is a lot of that going on. Like Joe Friday says in Dragnet, I want, “Just the facts.”
“May the Lord bless and keep you. May he let his face shine upon you, be gracious to you and give you his peace.”
