“The Church must permeate the world and not allow herself to be permeated by it” (Interior Word).
As the faithful, we are called to bear witness to the world of our Father’s love through our words and our entire being. Jesus’ words are very clear: “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world” (Mt 5:13-14). If the Church adapts to the world and adopts its mentality and customs, it loses the very light that bears witness to God and should enlighten people. Thus, they are deprived of an orientation that goes beyond what is customary in the world. Why listen to a church mainly concerned with political and social issues whose voice has lost its prophetic force capable of awakening people? Who wants to listen to bishops who speak like politicians and priests who act like psychologists?
Unfortunately, the worldliness of the Church has advanced far, but we must be aware of it. Therefore, we must return to our roots and deepen our relationship with our heavenly Father daily. The Gospel shows us the way forward. Therefore, we must deeply internalize the words of Jesus and meditate on them in our hearts, as the Virgin Mary did (cf. Lk 2:19). His words, not what the world thinks, are our criterion. To discover God’s will for us, we must heed Edith Stein’s good advice: “You will only discover what God wants of you face to face with him.”
Jesus makes it clear to us that, although we are in the world, we are not of the world (cf. Jn 17:16). If we forget this and lose this distance, we will no longer be able to offer a convincing witness to a life that points to what is essential. Then, we will easily get lost in the hustle and bustle of natural life and we will no longer be able to offer anyone the lifeline that would help them reach the promised land.