Most people love a good mystery – but only on the proviso that by the conclusion of the episode or by the last page, they have been provided with an acceptable conclusion.
It is a formula that has been successfully adopted by television producers, novelists and moviemakers alike as they tap into the innate human desire to seek and find answers. It is our way of attempting to gain some semblance of control over our environment.
Such yearning has inspired spectacular advances in science, medicine and technology as courageous and inquisitive men and women throughout history have stepped into the unknown in an attempt to understand and explain the world they live in.
However our appetite to intellectually comprehend all around us, it seems, has become insatiable. It has even permeated our Church as we become increasingly uncomfortable with the element of mystery that has, from conception, been an integral part of her existence.
As Church and State separated centuries ago and educational institutions became more influential in shaping societies, intellectualism became the currency of western civilisation. Belief in anything that could not be rationally explained was assigned to the category of superstition – an opiate for the uneducated peasants and a source of power for the religious hierarchy. Since that time the Church, in an attempt to remain relevant in a world that increasingly demands concrete evidence, has valiantly battled to marry spirituality with intellectualism – but it has come at a cost.
Earlier this year when I attended Mass at a local parish, an invited speaker addressed the congregation in an effort to raise money for a worthy cause.
In her attempt to encourage generosity from her audience she referred to the Gospel account of the feeding of 5,000.
The miracle, she suggested, may not necessarily have constituted supernatural intervention but, rather, may have been that Jesus inspired those who did have loaves and fishes to share and as a result, all were fed.
It was a well-intentioned sentiment that was intended to inspire listeners, but sadly, it is indicative of a rationality that has infiltrated the Church.
A growing number of individuals, it seems, are being moulded by external influences, rather than the other way around. In an attempt to maintain credibility in a world that requires answers, there are those who want to push the supernatural element that once defined us into the dark corners of the public square. After all, it is much easier to promote the Church as a successful welfare organisation than to announce it as the Body of Christ that will lead souls to an eternity with their Heavenly Father.
It is more socially acceptable to speak of Jesus as a great man with a great message than to tell another that He was the Son of God who died and rose again for their sins.
In an effort to make the Church more palatable for unbelievers we have allowed ourselves to water down those elements that cannot be rationalised and perhaps we have even come to accept them ourselves.
Do we truly believe that we receive the literal Body and Blood of Jesus at Mass each week or is it simply a ritual that serves to socially unite us as a community of believers? Do we believe that Jesus actually performed miracles and that we can do even greater things in His name – or are these merely outdated stories from a primitive era that need to be translated into a more modern and enlightened context?
The truth is that these beliefs are foundational to our Church and will never be compromised, no matter how uncomfortable they may make us feel.
As individuals, we must ultimately accept that if are to fully embrace our faith, we must choose to accept that there are some mysteries that we may never, in this lifetime, fully understand.