Most Reverend Jerome E. Listecki
Archbishop of Milwaukee
 

I have always loved the Church. It is my favorite subject for discussion. I remember that I was asked about 30 years ago what I thought about the future face of the Catholic Church in the United States. It was a time when the “cafeteria Catholic” was very much in vogue. A cafeteria Catholic is one who picks and choses what teachings of the Church they wish to follow. For example: I like the divinity of Jesus but I doubt the real presence in the Eucharist, or I reject Humanae Vitae and the Church’s teaching on contraception but accept the Church’s teaching in the area of social justice. For some, it’s like saying the Church teaches the truth in this area but not in the other. The very foundation of the Church is that it is guided and directed by the Holy Spirit.

The dogmatic and moral teachings of the Church are like a wall of well-placed bricks. Removing any of the bricks weakens the whole wall – the structure of the truth that supports the Church – risking collapse upon itself. It was obvious to me that eventually those who arbitrarily pick and choose the teachings that they follow would eventually come into conflict with the question of the Church’s authenticity. If the Church’s mission is to lead us to salvation, then rejection of the Church’s teaching would endanger that salvation which we seek.

One of the characteristics of the Church is that the Church is indefectible, apart from the declaration on infallibility. This means that the Church is now and will always remain the institution of salvation founded by Jesus Christ. The more people choose to follow what teachings they deem to be significant and reject others, the further they place themselves apart from the Church.

More and more, it will be imperative for the Catholic who lives in an ever-growing secularist environment to embody a commitment to the totality of the Church’s teachings. A half-hearted Catholic will not be able to stand against the criticisms of those who find the Church as an archaic remnant of a time passed. They will be ill equipped to defend the Church against a material rationalistic society.

My conclusion to the question of the face of the Catholic Church in the United States is that we will be smaller but stronger, because we will stand for the truth given to us through the Holy Spirit’s presence in the Church instituted by Christ. But even as we become smaller and stronger, we will still be called to LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Note: This blog originally appeared as the July 22, 2014 "Love One Another" email sent to Catholics throughout the Archdiocese of Milwaukee by Archbishop Jerome E. Listecki. If you are interested in signing up for these email messages, please click here.