Why the Synod Doesn’t Worry Me #synod14

Things seem to be quieting down now after last week’s bombshell of a relatio document, and though I’ve argued for calm I can understand why folks are getting nervous. We’ve had bishops saying and doing nutty things, and politicking to move the synod this way and that, and it sure looks like some of the synod fathers are willing to give away the doctrinal store.

But I have to say, it would have to look a lot worse before I’d get worried; and here’s why.

First of all, it was ever thus. In Constantine’s day, the majority of bishops had gone over to Arianism and things looked pretty bad; but Athanasius won out. As a history buff I take the long view.

But the second reason is simply that I’m a revert. I returned to the Church in 2007, after spending twenty years as an Episcopalian (for reasons that were relational, not doctrinal). I returned because the turmoil in that denomination caused me to study; and the fruits of that study were the following conclusions:

• That Christ intended to found a Church.
• That this Church was intended to be united, visibly united.
• That this Church was intended to include all people, Jew or Greek, woman or man, slave or free.
• That it was founded on the apostles and their testimony, passed down unto the present day.
• That Christ sent the Holy Spirit to ensure all of this.
• That Christ promised of this Church that the Gates of Hell would not prevail against it, i.e., that it would endure.

And so I looked around; and the only visible, united body in the entire world that meets this description is the Catholic Church. Of all the Christian bodies of believers, it is the one that has the strongest claim of being (as the Nicene Creed puts it) one, holy, catholic (small C), and apostolic.

I’ve written about this elsewhere, so I don’t intend to argue for it now;* the point is that I did and do believe this. And further—if the Catholic Church isn’t the visible body that Christ intended to establish, then there is no such body; all there is is the collection of all Christians in the world, gathered together in groups of convenience.

That leaves me with two possibilities: either the Holy Spirit is in charge, in which case I’m in the right place and good things will eventually emerge from this chaos (in God’s time, not mine). I believe Christ promised this; it’s the basis of my return to the Catholic Church.

And if I’m mistaken, well…then it doesn’t much matter where I am, in which case here is as good as anywhere. So what cause is there for worry? Sure, things might get interesting; things could get quite unpleasantly interesting. But Jesus will triumph.

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* And note: I’m not arguing here that my baptized Protestant friends are not Christians. Of course they are.