"The (Christian) whose practice is really sufficient for the Kingdom of heaven has to practice not only in Church but also in life...The Lord is still walking among his people and cannot but be astonished at how little faith he finds."
Karl Rahner, "Everyday Faith" (as quoted in Give Us This Day)
I wonder how we got so church-dependent for our salvation, when Jesus spelled out so carefully for us that all we really need to do is love each other. Jesus didn't tell us to go to church, Jesus told us to feed the poor. It's so much easier just to go to church, though, isn't it? But how and why do we think that suffices? Fr. Richard Rohr often laments that the most frequently confessed sin is missing mass. Missing mass, like Jesus said, "Never miss mass!" Instead, Jesus told us exactly what we are to do as his followers (Matthew 25:31-46). We go to mass to receive the fuel and courage to go out into the world and actually "do" Matthew 25:31-46, but going to mass, in itself, isn't all we are to do. Our first reading from Isaiah (26:1-6) tells us that God will trample the proud city with its protective high walls and ramparts...trample it with the footsteps of the needy and poor. Yikes, that! No wonder Jesus walks among us astonished at the little faith he finds! Love, heidi
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