March 17, 2021 “Is there ever going to be a time when I don’t need a Church Yoda?” I asked Deacon James Crowley, the chancellor of the diocese, as I asked him yet another question about theology, church structure… I’ve read a fair number of books about theology and spirituality. I’ve taken more than a few courses or workshops on various spiritual topics. I once thought I was decently knowledgeable about theology. Then I started this job. I’m constantly running into terms, concepts or ideas that are unfamiliar to me. Sometimes, it’s easy to sort out the new idea, term or concept with a simple Google search. Sometimes, Google searches just create more confusion. When I hit that point of confusion, it’s time to turn to my “Church Yoda.” I have more than one, actually. I have a few people I can turn to when I can’t figure something out on my own. For those unfamiliar with the Star Wars series, Yoda is a wise Jedi master, and he frequently shares his wisdom and counsel with younger Jedis and Jedis-in-training. When I asked Deacon Crowley if we ever hit a point where we don’t need a “Church Yoda,” he noted that he had consulted two people wiser than himself to clarify points about which he was unsure earlier that day. Our Church is so beautiful, deep and complex, we could learn about her and her teachings every minute of every day and still not know everything. There’s always room to grow in our knowledge. And it’s similar with our relationships with the Lord. Regardless of how much we develop our relationships with the Lord, we can always grow and go deeper. God’s love is so huge, we can really only ever comprehend a tiny bit of it. There’s always more there. Sometimes, our “Church Yodas” can help us with that part of our growth, too. They can help us overcome the stumbling blocks that hinder our relationship with the Lord, and they can teach us spiritual practices to develop that relationship. And as Yoda put it, “the more we learn, the more we discover how much we do not know.” |
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