Simple, not easy

I think we’re in a crisis right now in pretty much everything. Western society seems to be completely melting down around us. People have lost their minds, it feels like. The whole world is cringing in fear from a virus that the vast majority of people are recovering from just fine but everybody is acting like it’s the Black Plague and everybody seems to hate anyone who has a different opinion than them.
 
The Church is in crisis; all kinds of shenanigans coming out of the Vatican. The Pope, it seems like, on an almost daily basis seems to be intent on completely undermining 2000 plus years of Church practice, belief and tradition. Some of our bishops seem to have sold out to their political ideology and some priests don’t seem interested in the hard work of saving souls.
 
Things seem really complex and unstable.
 
I was attending a meeting today. The person leading this meeting said something that was really profound and speaks directly to where we are as a society, where the Church is and where we are as individuals who follow Christ collectively. In discussing how to live a sober life (she’s a substance abuse professional who has herself recovered), she said that living a sober life was “actually really simple. It’s not easy but it’s actually quite simple.”
 
I thought about that as it relates to the Christian life.
 
Here’s the thing. We have made Christianity really complex. We have made it much more complex than it actually is. I’m not saying that there aren’t complex theological concepts. I’m saying that living the Christian life, being a disciple of Jesus is really quite simple. It’s not easy but it’s actually quite simple.
 
You  probably think I’m nuts for saying that. But hear me out.
I’m going to put this into a Catholic perspective so, if you’re not Catholic, this may or may not make sense to you. But I’m also going to put it in a biblical perspective also so you should be good.
 
Ok, if you’re Catholic, the Christian life should be pretty simple for you. Do what the Church has traditionally taught us to do. The Catholic Church has, very helpfully, laid out for the faithful how we should be living our lives. She has even helpfully laid out for us what we are to believe. Don’t believe me? Here are a few examples.
 
You may ask: should I have sex before/outside of marriage?
The Church has already answered that question.
What should I believe about abortion?
The Church has already answered that question.
What is marriage?
The Church has already answered that question.
What should I believe about the Bible?
The Church has answered that question.
When should I go to Church and what should I believe about the Church?
You guessed it…the Church has already answered that question.
See where I’m going with this? The Church has definitively outlined for us what the Christian life should look like in her constant teaching and Tradition. As a side note, anything that is outside the bounds of the constant teaching and Tradition of the Church is NOT binding on the Christian and you should question it and probably not follow it.
You may say…”Yeah but where does the Church get all these things?”
 
I’m glad you asked.
We got it from Holy Scripture.
 
This is where the Bible comes in. Scripture has made things really simple for us. Not easy. Simple. The Bible very clearly lays out for us what we are to believe and how we are to live our lives. And the Bible is not hard at all to understand. Granted, there are parts that can be difficult but, again, the Church has been instructive for us here also. If a text is difficult to understand, look to the Church. She has spent the last two centuries teaching us what the Bible says and what it means. The Bible is both extraordinarily simple and deeply complex at the same time. That sounds like an oxymoron, I realize that. The way to salvation is laid out quite simply for us. “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household,” the Apostle Paul tells us in Acts 16:31.
 
It really is that simple.
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.
 
But it’s not for the faint of heart. It won’t be easy. Our Lord Jesus says we have to take up our cross (Matthew 10:38) and deny ourselves. He told us that it may cost us everything, even our families and closest friends. Even Jesus said it wouldn’t be easy. But that doesn’t make it complicated.
 
Simple doesn’t mean easy.
 
Things are demanded of us if we are to follow Jesus. Not complex things but they are hard. They’re hard because we are selfish and sinful people. Our hearts are corrupt and deceitful and wicked. Being a Christian is hard because it means you have to die to yourself and the world. You have to take up your cross.
As the lady said today, “It’s not easy but it’s actually quite simple.”
 
Go to Mass (find a traditional parish if you can) and pay attention. Be engaged.
Look to the unbroken teaching of the Church.
Look to Holy Scriptures.
Pray.
Look to the cross. On the cross, the folly of the world was laid bare as our Lord went to His death, taking on the sins of the world so that those who believe might be saved. Simple, not easy.
 
Look to Christ.
His yoke is easy and His burden is light.
 
Deo gratias!