Christ Reigns! – “Yes, I will be good.” “So What?”

Sharon Parks book, The Critical Years, provides ‘snapshots’ of faith development from adolescent faith to post-adolescent faith to young adult faith and concludes with a well-informed wager on what adult faith development looks like. I put her definitions of adolescent faith development to work in this post to offer a depiction of what I perceive many if not most Catholic Christians operate today. We live on a continuum between docility and rebellion. And the difference has nothing to do with age.

Consider the history of this country built firmly on the proposition, “Oh, yeah? You can’t tell me what to do!” “I’m not paying these dang taxes, King George!” Revolution and rebellion signify the adolescent mentality. No compromise! It’s especially manifest today in our world.

Docility maintains its pride of place today among Catholic Christians. “Whatever you say, God, Pope, Bishop, Father, Sister, Catholic radio host. I’ll do it. I will be obedient.”

These are two different forms of “lip service” to whomever we deem “authority.” In each case, authority resides “out there” and not “in me as a conversation/discernment partner.” In each case, persons remain tethered to the one with authority.

Do you find yourself on this spectrum? In a few places, depending on the circumstances? In other words, how do you react to Jesus’ teachings vs. how you should react?

What might an adult relationship with Jesus Christ on the Cross look like today?