Pope Francis recently said, “The Church is a love story, not an institution."
Does that make you feel uncomfortable? I feel a little uncomfortable when I read that, because I'm sold on the idea of the Church as a visible "institution." However, as I chewed on this quote from the Holy Father I began to seem the wisdom in it.
Of course, we sometimes speak of the "institutional Church," but we should remember that this is not the language of Scripture or the Tradition.
Of course, we sometimes speak of the "institutional Church," but we should remember that this is not the language of Scripture or the Tradition.
Instead, the Catholic Church tends to focus on images of relationships in order to describe the Church:
- Bride of Christ, Rev. 19:7, "Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready.”
- Body of Christ, Ephesians 5:22-23, "Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body."
- Daughter of Zion, John 12:15, "Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your King is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.”
- Flock of God, 1 Peter 5:2, "Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness."
- Household/Family/People of God, in Ephesians 2:19, "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household," People of God, 1 Peter 2:10, "for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."
In Scripture, the Church is often depicted in terms of relationships. Bride, children, family, daughter, and so on. For me, this is a great reminder about the chief identity of the Catholic Church. Relations are based on love and the Church is the 2,000 year story of that love story.
At the end of the day, we are not saved by faith alone, but by love. St John Of The Cross once wrote, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone."So the Church is chiefly a love story between God and His redeemed. If broken sinful people can see the Church in that light, then they will flock to her. If she is a cold institution with hoops to jump through and unclear rules, people will have a cold attitude toward her.
At the end of the day, we are not saved by faith alone, but by love. St John Of The Cross once wrote, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone."So the Church is chiefly a love story between God and His redeemed. If broken sinful people can see the Church in that light, then they will flock to her. If she is a cold institution with hoops to jump through and unclear rules, people will have a cold attitude toward her.
The Church succeeds to the extent that she responds in love to Christ. The liturgy is a love story. I attend the Extraordinary Form (Latin Mass or 1962 Missal) because, in my humble opinion, it feels less like an institutional town-hall meeting and more like an intimate slow dance. It's quiet and personal. The familiar unfolding of the liturgy is like a flower blossoming to meet the sunshine. No bride wants an irreverent wedding. So why do we stand for irreverent Masses?
Personal question. Are we in love with Christ? As a Catholic are you caught up in this love story? Your husband and bridegroom sacrificed everything for you. Are you caught up in the love story?
Pardon me is this sounds hokey, but for me it exposes some hard places in my heart. As He said to Peter, He says to us, "Do you love me?" That's what He really wants from us, isn't it?
Again, if you think this is sentimental, change the focus a little. The point here is that love (caritas) should be ruling our lives. Faith that is not formed by love is dead, as Saint Paul and James teach in their epistles. You can have faith to move mountains, but if you're not in love with Christ, it's all in vain.
The Reformation really got it wrong. They were worried about "works" and people trying to "earn" salvation. So they resorted to teaching salvation by "faith alone." That's the wrong answer to a good question. The real solution is love. As Saint John Of The Cross wrote, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone." If you have true love for Christ, you'll have faith and works without a doubt. They follow from love.
Question for you: Is this hokey or does it touch your heart? Should we speak of the Church as Love Story? I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below.
The Reformation really got it wrong. They were worried about "works" and people trying to "earn" salvation. So they resorted to teaching salvation by "faith alone." That's the wrong answer to a good question. The real solution is love. As Saint John Of The Cross wrote, "In the evening of life, we will be judged on love alone." If you have true love for Christ, you'll have faith and works without a doubt. They follow from love.
Question for you: Is this hokey or does it touch your heart? Should we speak of the Church as Love Story? I look forward to reading your thoughts in the comments below.
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