In a New York Times article today about the naming of new cardinals in the Roman Catholic Church, the author wrote: “Dressed in heavy golden vestments, Benedict called on the new cardinals to devote themselves entirely to humble service to the church, whose force, he said, is “not the logic of supremacy, of power according to human criteria, but the logic of bowing down to wash feet, the logic of service, the logic of the cross which is at the base of every exercise of power.”
Does anyone besides me see a disconnect here?
Now, I’m in agreement with the words about devoting themselves humbly to the church. I am just wondering about being dressed in enough gold to outclass any earthly king while making such a pronouncement.
It is a day where I’m wrestling mightily with the nature of the church. I’m working on my message for Christ the King Sunday tomorrow. What kind of a king is Christ? The human experience with “kings” is not particularly holy or helpful. Many, if not all, appear to be deeply corrupt, enamored with power, surrounded by sycophants, and protected from the vicissitudes and challenges of normal life, of trying to keep a family fed and housed, of concerns about health care and retirement, of seeking to keep a healthy soul in the midst of soul-destroying poverty.
So in my wrestling, I struggle with the image of church that I project and that is seen as a whole. I just keep thinking, “we are doing this all wrong.”
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