The Church Is a Torch Not a Lighthouse: Metaphors from the Synod

Some powerful images for the Church are emerging from the Extraordinary Synod on the Family this week, according to Catholic News Service:

…one bishop Oct. 7 told the assembly that the light the church brings to its members is not fixed like a lighthouse on the shore but is a torch that accompanies the pilgrimage of those seeking to live the truth

Speaking about the challenge of transmitting church teaching on sexuality and married life to modern men and women, the bishop reportedly said the torch of faith and truth lights the path of believers; the proclamation of truth cannot be like using a beacon to blind people.

And the bishops are also finding a metaphor from Pope Francis to be particularly helpful:

Pope Francis’ description of the church as a “field hospital” adopting emergency life-saving measures — not simply offering tests to determine the faithful’s cholesterol levels — has been echoed numerous times in the synod hall, the briefers said.

According to a synod briefing paper released by the Vatican press office, one synod member warned that if the church does not dedicate its energy to being a “field hospital,” it easily could become a “mortuary performing autopsies” on failed marriages.

Read the entire article at Catholic News Service’s special section on the Synod.