~I wrote this article a few years ago. I'm thinking I will update for Catholic Stand in light of some of the recent disturbing news. The Church is in serious need of a new clutch~
Growing up, one of the cars we
owned was a VW Bug. A great little car that we piled a family of 7 in to go to
church. Dad, being a pilot, was a really good driver. Very smooth. I did have
the awful experience of sitting in the back while by older siblings learned to
drive. Dad would bring in a full cup of tea to ensure that the shifting process
went smoothly. Foot off the brake, easy pressure on the gas, now let out the
clutch eeeeasy. And then of course, came the inevitable quote, “Yer puttin' white caps in ma tea.” Years later I begged my sister to teach me instead of Dad.
A few
years back my older son and I purchased an old bug together. The first drive I
had in it I could hear Dad’s words again. I could hear him deep in my head
saying ‘Shhhhhhift” (please take note of the 'F' in that last word). Now, unlike then, it was a pleasant experience. I’m glad
he taught us well the importance of the clutch. I have a simple mind and I
don’t need to know the mechanics of the clutch to know its value. It is there to serve and I surely don’t want
to abuse that.
Where do the puppies come into
this story? Well, we had a beautiful English Setter named Daisy while I was
pregnant with that older boy of mine. She had puppies when I was just about 6
months along. I had a little Ford Ranger (stick shift) and I needed to get the
puppies to the vet for their first shots…all eight of them, and, I was going on
my own. Have you ever tried to get that many puppies into the cab all at once?
It’s not a pretty site. I had to open the windows just far enough to slip them
through, then wait ‘til they were far enough from the door to squeeze in quick.
Oh, yes, did I say I was 6 months pregnant? Finally, all of us in the cab,
ready to go…kinda. Those pups where
having a grand time exploring and particularly liked being at my feet. Stick shift, remember? Every time I’d step on
the clutch there was a pup underneath it. No small task driving some 15 miles
but I did it. When I arrived they had finally settled down and one was asleep
under the clutch.
So what is the point of clutches,
white caps, and puppies. What am I getting at? At the heart of it all is faith
and trust; faith in God, and trust that He has given authority over His
Church. The authority is not the Church
itself (Body of Christ) , but the clutch that keeps it going. It is there to
serve, to keep the Bride moving forward, and not stalling out. When I began my
journey into Catholicism, I was confused by the Magisterium, the authority. I,
myself, had always rebelled against authority for many years. Like one of those
wriggling puppies that get in the way, I stalled out too, too many times.
Running from what I needed, and finally exhausting myself, I began to realize what
I had been resisting. I needed to rest under the clutch, and trust that
although it’s not always running smooth, sometimes white-caps make a mess, it’s
still moving forward. I can’t move
forward without that authority…without that service. I believe what confuses some of us is the
worldly definition of authority. This worldly notion is to lord over,
attempting to control the masses. The authority of the Church is flipped, in a
manner of speaking, on its head. It’s a
pyramid upside-down. It is built with the Pope at the bottom, and building up
and outward, holding us all up. Without it, and without the Holy Spirit
protecting it, we would all fall. The clutch let out in our time instead of
God’s will stall and we’d have spiritual whip-lash.
I need to be that puppy asleep
under the clutch, confidant that although I don’t get it, I don’t understand
the mechanics, I do know what happens when it’s not running smooth. I think
I’ll trust and rest in that.
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