Archbishop Chaput on "What it means to be Catholic"

Archbishop Chaput is what I would call a great modern bishop. Great in that he isn't afraid to answer the tough questions, call a spade a spade and is genuinely a sheperd to his flock. By modern, I mean he knows how to use the technology available to reach his faithful.

In the age when everyone wants everything, including answers, now; Chaput has maded use of the internet to publish his statements, correct misquotations by other media and preach the gospel. Here is the latest:

On this point, he explained the nature of the Church--a body composed of human beings, but aimed and focused on something higher.
“When people say, ‘we are the Church,’” the Archbishop stressed, “of course that’s true…
But a ‘community of faith’ or a ‘community of the faithful’ implies that there’s Someone and something we have the duty to be faithful to. We don’t invent the Catholic faith. Nor do we own it. We receive it; we live it in community; we witness it to others; and we pass it on fully -- as good stewards -- to our children. That’s what life in the Church means.” (emphasis added)

And later points out the big shoes they have to fill:

Bishops”, he said, “have the same need for redemption as the people to whom they belong. The only difference is that God will hold bishops even more accountable because of the leadership to which He ordained them, and because of the graces of office that they’ve received.”
Archbishop Chaput described this vision, borrowing from the wisdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch, as he said: “Every bishop is a successor to the apostles and a pastor of souls. Every bishop has the duty to safeguard the liturgical life of the local Church.”

Oh, that more bishops understood those two concepts. Today, pray for your bishop!

Thanks to Rich