When people start asking faith questions, comfort no longer is an option. When the soul emerges from its cocoon and wants to fly, things get kind of scary. Scary because whatever is trying to fly has no prior flying experience. Yeah, it gets kind of dangerous.
Personal integrity requires ditching the cocoon for God knows what. However, community life so frequently says, "Ok, Ok, you've had your fun, now get back in that cocoon."
OR
"Good grief, when are you ever going to grow out of this?"
OR
"What the &*^% is going on here?"
What a strange life of faith we are called to - one of personal integrity within the communal life. It's an oxymoron.
Butterflies cannot become caterpillars. To force them to live that way is sick and abusive, or at best, disresperctful.
May we transcend our discomfort when other people have this questioning faith - and may be find some questions of our own.
The only way to get out of adolescent faith is to ride those white water rapids and scream like a maniac until the river gets calm again.
2 comments:
I work with young adolescents in my job as a Campus Minister and with older adolescents as I travel to different parishes for retreats and workshops . . . and I like their faith. They're not so entrenched in looking like perfect Christians that they're afraid to ask questions - they just ask. I encourage them to ask questions in my classes and presentations - it gives them the freedom to know that asking questions is the way we grow.
Blessings & Peace,
Hugo
Fine post, Chris. I wrote about it at my blog. Peace.
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