Monday, June 28, 2010

Bird Songs, a Chain Saw, and the Church Militant

This afternoon was one of those beautiful summer days: about 69° Fahrenheit, just enough wind to discourage mosquitoes without bothering people, blue sky with only a few shreds of cloud. These aren't all that common here in central Minnesota, so I went for a walk.


Our Lady of the Angels church's Marian garden: a good place to sit, think, and pray.

The Marian garden between Our Lady of the Angels church and the rectory makes a nice destination. Today, I sat on one of the benches for several minutes, enjoying the flowers, statues, sunlight bird songs: and the sound of a chain saw being used across the street.


The garden's serene, for the most part.

The beautiful surroundings, complete with the singing of birds and the brapping of a chain saw, put me in mind of the Church Militant.

The Church Militant?

Outside some of America's more tensely earnest thinkers' circles, the words "militant" and "church" may not seem to have much to do with each other. I think that's partly because of an emphasis on the 'nice' parts of Christianity, back in the 19th century. (February 15, 2010)

The fact is, though, that we're involved in a struggle. A big one:
"For our struggle is not with flesh and blood but with the principalities, with the powers, with the world rulers of this present darkness, with the evil spirits in the heavens."
(Ephesians 6:12)
I haven't tracked town where the term came from, but my guess is that "the Church Militant" comes from a recognition of the conflict that's been raging since long before my Lord came, and changed everything.

The best - or shortest, at any rate - definition of the Church Militant that I've found is in an old Catechism:
"Q. Where are the members of the Church to be found?
A. The members of the Church are found partly in heaven, forming the Church Triumphant; partly in purgatory, forming the Church Suffering; partly on earth, forming the Church Militant.
"
("Catechism of Saint Pius X")
Recapping: The Church Triumphant are the souls in Heaven; the Church Suffering are the folks in Purgatory; the Church Militant is what I'm in right now, the followers of my Lord who are now living.

The copy of the Pius X Catechism available the EWTN.com website starts with some background - and a disclaimer. That particular Catechism wasn't officially approved for the entire Church - although it was given the green light in parts of Italy. Also: "...Parts relating to canon law may not be up to date."

The basic, foundational rules and teachings of the Church don't change: but as the centuries piled up into millennia, the Catholic Church has had to tweak what I'll call the nuts-and-bolts procedures from time to time.

Which is another topic.

Not-completely-unrelated posts:

No comments:

Like it? Pin it, Plus it, - - -

Pinterest: My Stuff, and More

Advertisement

Unique, innovative candles


Visit us online:
Spiral Light CandleFind a Retailer
Spiral Light Candle Store

Popular Posts

Label Cloud

1277 abortion ADD ADHD-Inattentive Adoration Chapel Advent Afghanistan Africa America Amoris Laetitia angels animals annulment Annunciation anti-catholicism Antichrist apocalyptic ideas apparitions archaeology architecture Arianism art Asperger syndrome assumptions asteroid astronomy Australia authority balance and moderation baptism being Catholic beliefs bias Bible Bible and Catechism bioethics biology blogs brain Brazil business Canada capital punishment Caritas in Veritate Catechism Catholic Church Catholic counter-culture Catholicism change happens charisms charity Chile China Christianity Christmas citizenship climate change climatology cloning comets common good common sense Communion community compassion confirmation conscience conversion Corpus Christi cosmology creation credibility crime crucifix Crucifixion Cuba culture dance dark night of the soul death depression designer babies despair detachment devotion discipline disease diversity divination Divine Mercy divorce Docetism domestic church dualism duty Easter economics education elections emotions England entertainment environmental issues Epiphany Establishment Clause ethics ethnicity Eucharist eugenics Europe evangelizing evolution exobiology exoplanets exorcism extremophiles faith faith and works family Father's Day Faust Faustus fear of the Lord fiction Final Judgment First Amendment forgiveness Fortnight For Freedom free will freedom fun genetics genocide geoengineering geology getting a grip global Gnosticism God God's will good judgment government gratitude great commission guest post guilt Haiti Halloween happiness hate health Heaven Hell HHS hierarchy history holidays Holy Family Holy See Holy Spirit holy water home schooling hope humility humor hypocrisy idolatry image of God images Immaculate Conception immigrants in the news Incarnation Independence Day India information technology Internet Iraq Ireland Israel Italy Japan Jesus John Paul II joy just war justice Kansas Kenya Knights of Columbus knowledge Korea language Last Judgment last things law learning Lent Lenten Chaplet life issues love magi magic Magisterium Manichaeism marriage martyrs Mary Mass materialism media medicine meditation Memorial Day mercy meteor meteorology Mexico Minnesota miracles Missouri moderation modesty Monophysitism Mother Teresa of Calcutta Mother's Day movies music Muslims myth natural law neighbor Nestorianism New Year's Eve New Zealand news Nietzsche obedience Oceania organization original sin paleontology parish Parousia penance penitence Pentecost Philippines physical disability physics pilgrimage politics Pope Pope in Germany 2011 population growth positive law poverty prayer predestination presumption pride priests prophets prostitution Providence Purgatory purpose quantum entanglement quotes reason redemption reflections relics religion religious freedom repentance Resurrection robots Roman Missal Third Edition rosaries rules sacramentals Sacraments Saints salvation schools science secondary causes SETI sex shrines sin slavery social justice solar planets soul South Sudan space aliens space exploration Spain spirituality stem cell research stereotypes stewardship stories storm Sudan suicide Sunday obligation superstition symbols technology temptation terraforming the establishment the human condition tolerance Tradition traffic Transfiguration Transubstantiation travel Trinity trust truth uncertainty United Kingdom universal destination of goods vacation Vatican Vatican II veneration vengeance Veterans Day videos virtue vlog vocations voting war warp drive theory wealth weather wisdom within reason work worship writing

Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.