Last night I started my 4th course of my master’s degree program in religious education. The course is titled “Grace, Christ, and Spirit.” We study many different resources, the bible, books written by modern day theologians, text books, as well as watching the Loyola University videos created for this program. One of the many theologians in the video talked about something so central to our religion. He said that everything the Catholic Church does or has done in the past including, every doctrine, tradition, Mass, sacrament, etc. is all done in order to bring people into an experience with God. Meaning, if these things, writings, ideas, acts and traditions fails to bring us into an experience with God then the Church has failed.
I totally agree with this idea. I had a discussion with my fellow students about teaching the faith. I was not called to be a teacher in a school. I was called to bring people closer to God in all that I do. I am a teacher of the faith so that people can experience God. The prayers my students experience are more important to me than the content. If they never experience God then the content is pointless. The content is there to lead them closer to God.
My mission is to bring people closer to God, to experience God, and to be in a deeper relationship with God. That’s what it’s all about.
I think if we were in the same room we would agree on this blog. The only concern I have is the last sentence of the first paragraph. IF the doctrine, sacraments, traditions, do NOT bring us into an deeper relationship with God IT CAN BE THE FAULT for many different reasons…the person presenting, the person receiving, heresy, brainwashing, lack of understanding of what was presented or modeled to the individual…etc. vs. the statement “then the Church has failed”. My best definition of CHURCH is to take off the “ch” ‘s and what is left is “UR”…If the Church fails then it is like saying you and I have failed and THAT is possible Content IS important the older and more mature we are, it is the rock foundation when the emotion and desert experiences cause us to question and doubt.