The bells of contemplative prayer need to ring in harmony with the bells of active work for the Church as Christ taught and lived. If not, there is a cacaphony of noise that rings harsh in the hearts of Catholics everywhere as well as echoing hollow in Heaven. We need a balance of both and it's up to us. We can let the abuses continue or we can do something about it through prayer and charity for united we pray, divided we are prey!
In her sixteenth installment, Cyndi Cain tries to soothe the cacaphony of bells that are ringing out of sync within the Mystical Body of Christ - the Church. Through the grace of the Holy Spirit, she shares how those who have not taken the time to truly study the Second Vatican Council documents have misconstrued all that was passed down. She reminds us that too many truly do not understand that the Council Fathers changed nothing in respect to Faith and Morals, Doctrine and Traditions; rather they reinforced it. But factions on both the left and right sought to do their own thing, thus deciding they knew better than God and His Holy Church. When we are divided, then satan can work much easier and he does on both the left and right. She pleads to all - from bishop to the mere parishioner to strive mightily to come back in harmony with the Mystical Body of Christ as the Church teaches so there is a symphony of unity with all bells ringing in harmony. This means standing up for the Faith, standing up against abuses when we truly know they are being done. Not judging, but lovingly correcting in the spirit of Our Lord's words in Matthew 5: 24, 7: 3-5, 12: 50, and especially 18: 15 "But if thy brother sin against thee, go and show him his fault, between thee and him alone. If he listen to thee, thou has won thy brother. But if he do not listen to thee, take with thee one or two more so that on the word of two or three witnesses every word may be confirmed. And if he refuse to hear them, appeal to the Church, but if he refuse to hear even the Church, let him be to thee as the heathen and the publican." It is the next two verses that are so important for there is so much power in united prayer, "I say to you further, that if two of you shall agree on earth about anything at all for which they ask, it shall be done for them by My Father in Heaven. For where two or three are gathered together for My sake, there am I in the midst of them." We all need to gather for there are strength in numbers and the time-honored axiom holds so true, united we pray, divided we are prey!
For her column, The Mystical Body of Christ's chorus of bells need to ring in sync , see SYMPHONY OF SUFFERING.
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