{"id":1639,"date":"2011-04-18T11:41:14","date_gmt":"2011-04-18T17:41:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/?p=1639"},"modified":"2011-04-18T11:41:17","modified_gmt":"2011-04-18T17:41:17","slug":"for-those-who-doubt-the-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/marccardaronella.com\/blog\/2011\/04\/18\/for-those-who-doubt-the-church\/","title":{"rendered":"For Those Who Doubt the Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

I know what it is to doubt.<\/p>\n

I wasn’t taught to trust Church teaching. In fact,\u00a0I grew up doubting the Church’s intentions on\u00a0everything.<\/p>\n

As a young adult, I was skeptical of the control\u00a0the Church sought over my choices. Consequently, I rebelled against the Church’s teaching and her authority.<\/p>\n

Have you ever doubted that the Church didn’t have your best interests in mind? Perhaps all the rules and regulations seem heavy handed? Maybe you’ve been tempted to leave\u00a0because of that.\u00a0I know have.<\/p>\n

The true intentions of the Church<\/h2>\n

So, here’s a quote for those who have a hard time trusting<\/strong>.\u00a0In the prologue of the Catechism of the Catholic Church<\/em>, paragraph 25, there’s a message that sums up the Church’s motive for everything:<\/p>\n

The whole concern of doctrine and its teaching must be directed to\u00a0the love that never ends. Whether something is proposed for belief, for hope or for action, the love of our Lord must always be made accessible, so that anyone can see that all the works of perfect Christian virtue spring from love and have no other objective than to arrive at love.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This itself is a quote from the preface of\u00a0the catechism written after the Council of Trent in 1566, the Roman Catechism<\/em>. It’s over 500 years old and yet the message is still fresh and exciting today.\u00a0Everything the Church does, all that she teaches, all that she seeks to be is oriented to this–the love that never ends!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sometimes all we see are the externals<\/h2>\n

If you understand this one thing, you\u00a0understand a TON. The purpose of the Church is to grow \u00a0and nurture the presence of God within us<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

When we think of the Church, we tend to\u00a0think of the externals<\/strong>–the Pope, bishops, priests, rules and regulations. This “exterior life” of the Church is important. It supports and protects the “interior life.”<\/p>\n

The exterior life is to the Church what the skeleton is to\u00a0the body. The skeleton protects the body and gives it\u00a0structure.\u00a0Our lives are maintained by our internal organs. But without the skeleton, vital organs are left unprotected. They have no framework to be maintained.<\/p>\n

But it’s all about the internal<\/h2>\n

But the real mission of the Church is in the interior life.<\/strong> Jesus is present and active through the sacraments, liturgy, teachings and relationships. He is pouring his divine life out into those who are united to him through Baptism and the Eucharist.<\/p>\n

In this way, the effects of original sin are gradually undone. Our lost relationship with God\u00a0is restored and all of creation is once again infused\u00a0with God through us.<\/p>\n

Through doctrine<\/strong>, the mysteries of God’s life transform our thinking. The grace to believe and live these truths is transmitted to us through the liturgy and the sacraments<\/strong>. The commandments and moral laws<\/strong> reshape our character and conduct to be more in union\u00a0with God. And, our hearts and minds are reoriented to God through prayer<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Catechetical Takeaway<\/h2>\n

St. Augustine<\/strong> said it even earlier. In his youth he had serious doubts about the Church as well<\/strong>. However, in opening his heart and mind to Catholic Truth, he found the love and fulfillment he searched for all his life.\u00a0In the year 405<\/strong>, speaking to catechists he wrote:<\/p>\n

“With this love, then, set before you as an end to which you may refer all that you say, so give all your\u00a0instructions\u00a0that he to whom you speak by hearing may\u00a0believe, and by believing may hope, and by hoping may love” (The First Catechetical Instruction<\/em>, pg. 24).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The Church is not out to limit\u00a0freedom, spoil fun, make life miserable, overpopulate the world or control you. The Church is out to make the divine life of God\u00a0understandable and accessible to everyone. Everything is oriented toward that goal–the love that never ends.<\/p>\n

When you doubt the Church, try to understand the deeper reality. It may open up a whole new reality as it did for me.<\/p>\n

What do you think? Disagree? Have more to add? Let me know in the comments! <\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you doubt the Church’s intentions are legitimate. 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