Why is the Church so sad? Why is the priesthood so boring that it even has to ask itself the nature of its identity and reasons for its existence? There is only one reply. In practice—not in theory—”They have forsaken Me, the source of living waters; they have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water” (Jeremiah 2:13).
Oh return to Me—the prophet would say—and put me to the test: Shall I not open for you the floodgates of heaven to pour down blessing on you without measure? You will live in my love if you keep my commandments. Leave your idols, which cannot help you. Do not believe in the strength of money, do not rely on the powerful. Rely on Me, who am God.
Do not begin the day by reading the newspaper; that will make you slaves of public opinion, even though involuntarily. Rather, begin your daily labors waiting for the dawn in prayer, as the Psalm suggests to you: “Awake, O my soul; awake, lyre and harp; I will wake the dawn” (Psalm 108:3). All those who have signed the story of my presence in the world have done so. “Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart. Your souls will find rest” (Matthew 11:28-29).
—Carlo Carretto, The God Who Comes
Not all of the Church is sad, of course, but to focus on this misses Carretto’s main point. We are easily distracted and when we let our distractions have top priority in our lives we will necessarily become impoverished, even the Church. All we have to do is to look around to see the truth in Carretto’s statement. I’m thinking of the Episcopal Church in general and of those individuals who have let their distractions or other agendas replace God as their first priority in their lives. There we generally see decay, decline, and death.
On the other hand, when we see those parts of the Church and those individuals keep God as the main thing and focus in their lives, we see growth, health, life, and vitality. We’ve always had a choice. Choose life. Choose Christ.