The Real Challenge

From Anthony de Mello's book, Taking Flight:

"Prisoner at the bar," said the Grand Inquisitor, "you are charged with encouraging people to break the laws, traditions, and customs of our holy religion. How do you plead?"
  "Guilty, Your Honor."
  "And with frequenting the company of heretics, prostitutes, public sinners, the extortionist tax-collectors, the colonial conquerors of our nation—in short, the excommunicated. How do you plead?"
  "Guilty, Your Honor."
  Also with publicly criticizing and denouncing those who have been placed in authority within the Church of God. How do you plead?"
  "Guilty, Your Honor."
  "Finally, you are charged with revising, correcting, calling into question the sacred tenets of our faith. How do you plead?"
  "Guilty, Your Honor."
  "What is your name, prisoner?"
  "Jesus Christ, Your Honor."

Some people are just as alarmed to see their religion practiced as they are to hear it doubted.
    -- p.126- 127 Taking Flight- A Book of Story Meditations by Anthony de Mello, S.J.

One of the things about stories- they don't mince words and the stories de Mello found often hit you up the side of the head. This was one of them along with his italicized postscript.

How sadly true in all ages when the faith, any faith, becomes the status quo. How sadly true when those who are the leaders of the faith participate in the status quo to the extent that creativity and the possibility of the working of the Spirit is stifled. De Mello hints that the actual practice of religion may be more dangerous, alarming, and therefore stifled than doubt or opposing religions.

May we always live on the edge of that dangerous and alarming understanding that leads us to truly live our faith.