“We’re not going to do that. It’s not what we are about.”
These statements come from the mouths of leaders. They have a sense when enough has been met. A line is drawn.
Sometimes leaders who make these statements are parents. As in, “that’s enough, break it up”. School principals also say these things. The student who goes too far is presented with a consequence.
One of my chief roles as a father is to do all I can to ensure that my wife and children are safe. I cannot prevent all harm (i.e. a hurricane knocks a tree down which strikes my home and causes an injury) but I am invited to do what I can.
When I don’t, I’ve missed out on something special within my fatherhood.
Sometimes in religious circles, leaders dodge this mandate. They feel that adults should make their own decisions and be treated as such. They don’t want to be “the bad guy” and have to say no. This is avoiding the heart of leadership- honesty. If I go to confession and tell my pastor that I’ve done something horrible, charity demands that he be honest with me and confirm my wrong.
I was on a call recently where a leader flat out said that he didn’t want to confront a situation on a local college campus. Too complicated, too hard, too delicate a matter to get involved with. The choice instead: ignore it all and allow the cancer to spread.
The debate going on today, within the Catholic Church at least, is centered on two things: a president who claims to be Catholic but works intentionally for the cause of abortion (and is thus is grave sin) and a laity who struggles to understand the meaning of the Eucharist. One is active, the other passive. The intersection of these realities (a president and the laity) has brought the US Bishops to consider a season of teaching (i.e. catechesis) about the Eucharist.
The result is messy. Some claim the Eucharist is being weaponized. Others argue that it’s simply too far to allow an obstinately anti-life politician to receive the Eucharist. Still others suggest that all of the laity should be held to the same standard as a leader/politician/executive. One politician outright dared the Church to deny him communion. We’ve reached someplace new.
Let’s not overthink this. Leaders, in honesty and charity, protect the flock. Any parent knows this. Any school principal knows this. It’s what we do. If I’m doing something in my life that might put my soul at eternal risk, I expect my religious leaders to point that out and charitably walk me through a period of deepening conversion. Lord knows, this can apply to many, many moral issues, not just abortion.
All of the laity should have this expectation of honest feedback, not just politicians. And we ought to have leaders who know when enough has been met. The Church, as a Body, should want all of its members to be holy and ultimately find rest in Heaven. We should do all we can to reach the one who is struggling to find conversion, no matter his rank or office.
The current debate is about President Biden. It’s also about you and me. And, rather obviously, it’s about the role of spiritual fatherhood and its DNA to protect the flock.
These statements come from the mouths of leaders. They have a sense when enough has been met. A line is drawn.
Sometimes leaders who make these statements are parents. As in, “that’s enough, break it up”. School principals also say these things. The student who goes too far is presented with a consequence.
One of my chief roles as a father is to do all I can to ensure that my wife and children are safe. I cannot prevent all harm (i.e. a hurricane knocks a tree down which strikes my home and causes an injury) but I am invited to do what I can.
When I don’t, I’ve missed out on something special within my fatherhood.
Sometimes in religious circles, leaders dodge this mandate. They feel that adults should make their own decisions and be treated as such. They don’t want to be “the bad guy” and have to say no. This is avoiding the heart of leadership- honesty. If I go to confession and tell my pastor that I’ve done something horrible, charity demands that he be honest with me and confirm my wrong.
I was on a call recently where a leader flat out said that he didn’t want to confront a situation on a local college campus. Too complicated, too hard, too delicate a matter to get involved with. The choice instead: ignore it all and allow the cancer to spread.
The debate going on today, within the Catholic Church at least, is centered on two things: a president who claims to be Catholic but works intentionally for the cause of abortion (and is thus is grave sin) and a laity who struggles to understand the meaning of the Eucharist. One is active, the other passive. The intersection of these realities (a president and the laity) has brought the US Bishops to consider a season of teaching (i.e. catechesis) about the Eucharist.
The result is messy. Some claim the Eucharist is being weaponized. Others argue that it’s simply too far to allow an obstinately anti-life politician to receive the Eucharist. Still others suggest that all of the laity should be held to the same standard as a leader/politician/executive. One politician outright dared the Church to deny him communion. We’ve reached someplace new.
Let’s not overthink this. Leaders, in honesty and charity, protect the flock. Any parent knows this. Any school principal knows this. It’s what we do. If I’m doing something in my life that might put my soul at eternal risk, I expect my religious leaders to point that out and charitably walk me through a period of deepening conversion. Lord knows, this can apply to many, many moral issues, not just abortion.
All of the laity should have this expectation of honest feedback, not just politicians. And we ought to have leaders who know when enough has been met. The Church, as a Body, should want all of its members to be holy and ultimately find rest in Heaven. We should do all we can to reach the one who is struggling to find conversion, no matter his rank or office.
The current debate is about President Biden. It’s also about you and me. And, rather obviously, it’s about the role of spiritual fatherhood and its DNA to protect the flock.