Pope Emeritus, Benedict XVI, in his book 'Called to Communion,' spoke of the last hundred years, or so, of the worlds understanding of the Catholic Church and the world. He spoke of a period prior to Vatican I where the world was enamored with progress, specifically in science and technology, and felt the need to pit the gospel Jesus against the establishment, creating a theology of individualism and personally selected ethics over dogma, doctrine, and ecclesial guidance in objective morality.
Them came World War I, and WWII, and the realization that modernity was as equally fatal as hope-filled. The romance with Modernism was over!
The Pope pointed out that during the war, in a sense within a giant Universal foxhole, there were not only few atheists, but few who did not come to re-evaluate the value of faithful Communion within the Church! Holy Mother Church provided stability, sanity, and hope within a dark and exploding world.
Then came peace and prosperity for the First World, and poverty for the Third World!
In the first world, affluent and comfortable, Jesus' anti-establishment trend returned. This time, however, Jesus sought a 'Kingdom,' not in cult and orthodoxy, but in mysticism, and the individual freedom of selective and subjective religion. In the third world, in squalor, the Marxist promised the utopia of 'The Kingdom of God' on earth in egalitarianism served up by the government. Once again, Jesus was interpreted as the model.
But faithful Catholics, those who do not fear delving in Church history and theology (of a traditional/orthodox bent) see the extremes in the interpretation of Jesus and His Church in the above mentioned trends.
Pope Francis, as revealed today in his dialogue with the world press, chose the name 'Francis' mindful of St. Francis and his devotion to the poor Jesus in the impoverished brothers and sisters of the Lord in the world. Pope Francis, and the Church ever in need of 'repair' (renewal in the Holy Spirit), must seek individually and communally, for the poverty of spirit as described by Jesus in the Beatitudes.
This does not fall into the powerful magnet of worldly polarity in extreme individualism or socialism.
Saints are individually accountable for their actions and omissions. Yet, without communion in the Church, particularly Eucharistic Communion with God and His faithful, in, with, and through Jesus, holiness is not humanly possible. The Church of the 'New Evangelization' calls all humanity, individually and nationally, to a personal relationship with the Creator of the World in the Communion of saints, found purely and solely in Jesus Christ, within His Church, Truly Present in His Body and Blood, soul and divinity, in the Eucharist.
Catholicism respects the individual, yet realizes that charity is in unity and communion with Jesus, and his saints--and aims to make everyone another saint! And this is what will 'repair' our Church!
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