Kelly Clark offers her lastest views from the pew, using her (hilarious) experience trying out for cheerleader squad in high school to illustrate a point about the motivations for why we do some things such as seek applause and recognition at Mass or, as a workshop at Boston College puts it: “Envisioning the Church Women Want.”
Kelly gets it exactly right. It’s not about what we want. What we want should not matter. What does God want? It’s not up to us to create or envision the Church. Jesus Christ creates the Church, and the Holy Spirit renews her. We’re supposed to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, not dictate to it.
In the end it boils down to ego, whether it’s seeking excessive control over the Mass or reinventing the Church in our image. We put ourselves in God’s rightful place and that’s the worst kind of idolatry there is. “I am the Lord your God .... you shall have no other Gods before me.” Oops.
