I think this Sunday’s readings could perhaps be best described as having a theme of adaptation, but also of caution to ensure we always orient ourselves around Christ’s teachings. Our first reading from the book of Acts chronicles the solution that the disciples developed to address both the needs of the people and the need of maintaining their focus on their core responsibility to the emerging Church. This was not something that was lightly pondered or decided upon, but the needs of the people were also recognized and required addressing.
The need to grow and adapt is something the Church has always been challenged with, and in a very good way, as it is usually the result of more people coming to Christ and desiring to be part of the Universal (Catholic) Church. The challenge that comes with such growth is multifaceted but does seem to manifest a great deal in two key areas. The first is simply dealing with the addition of people, and with that the logistical challenges that come from a growing population within the Body of Christ – this is a good problem to have. The second, though, is a bit more complex and can sometimes come from those who are newly added as members of the faith (perhaps a bit like the Hellenists that needed to be accommodated), but sometimes also as a result of new challenges within the world that many of the members of the Body of Christ find themselves needing to come to grips with. This can be thought of in terms of dealing with new situations within oneself, on an intellectual and spiritual level, and looking to the Church for guidance in doing so. Or, perhaps in terms of how to interact with others in light of new societal changes and challenges.
The Universal (Catholic) Church has sometimes been criticized for its reaction speed (actually, the lack thereof) so that people perceived it to be guilty of not addressing some of those societal changes quickly enough. While being the focus of criticism is usually not a pleasant prospect, there are times when it can still be a sign of a misunderstood but commendable attribute that others simply do not immediately recognize. In terms of the Church being careful with its responses to newly presented challenges, I think this may be the case. It is always tempting to want to rapidly accommodate the emotions and feelings of others, so that there is no discord, but that can sometimes result in compromising too much on what you know to be the truth, and what is truly beneficial to others in the long term; ultimately focusing on their path to eternal life. This last part is the ultimate mission of the Church – the salvation of souls. All else comes well after that. The stance of the Church therefore cannot always bend to public opinion, even if the emotion of the moment and the short-term benefits seem to clearly call for this. There may be greater and longer-term considerations that need to be considered for the ultimate good and salvation of those created in Christ’s image, and rushing to appease others is not complimentary to that effort.
For those who are followers of Christ, the litmus test of any response to a newly developing area of societal controversy is relative straightforward in focus – what would our Lord say, or respond with? This is of course keeping in mind His true teaching, and not simply some of the warm fuzzy moments that we like to sometimes relegate His entire persona to. Jesus was indeed a loving and compassionate being, but He is God, and as such hates sin, and the destructiveness of it, and so seeks to always draw us away from that. He did not come to condemn, but He did indeed come to call us out if we were not following Him in truth, truth
being the salvific message and teachings of how He demands that we conduct ourselves. If we adhere to this, He is the unshakeable foundation that will support us. However, if His truth is not in us, or if we misinterpret or choose to misrepresent His teaching, He is the immovable stone that will cause us to stumble. The hope being that after that initial stumble, we will get back up, dust ourselves off, and with humility in our hearts truly seek out His will for all of us, and then press on. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light, and through Him and intimate knowledge of His teaching, we have insight into the spirit and mind of God to guide us through any uncertainties in life.
The Deacons Bench 