Universal Call to Holiness

Msgr. Luigi Giussani states: "[T.S. Eliot] asked himself "Has the Church failed mankind, or has mankind failed the Church?" . . . Both, both, because first and foremost it is mankind who failed the Church, because if I need something, I chase after it if it goes away. No one chased after it . . . The Church began to fail mankind, as I see it . . . because she forgot who Christ was, she did not rely on..., she was ashamed of Christ, of saying who Christ is."(Interview, 2004) I agree that mankind has failed the church because not enough people go and try to agree with what the church says and follow the church. People believe that the church has too many rules and people now live for happiness instead of living for God which is why people worry so much about money and other materialistic entities that are trivial to the Church. When you say if you need something, you chase after it if it goes away. It means that when you want something and it goes away, you chase after it. An example would be in the love movies when the girl realizes that the guy is what she’s always wanted but he’s on the way to the airport and she chases after him. This quote is saying that instead of chasing after the church, we let it leave implying that we don’t need it when in fact we do. I also agree that the church has failed mankind because although people claim to be Christians, they never really stand up for what they believe unless they are on of the special few. A lot of people claim Christ but are too scared to actually show it in front off their peers. They say that they give their lif to Christ but that night, they are drinking in the club and cursing with their friends. When you can say who Christ is without shame is a very good thing. A lot of people believe in Christ but have a hard time actually proving their love. A lot of people don’t have the strength to be martyrs or witnesses to Christ as he is. Some people give into their human characteristics and don’t fight for the Lord. An example of this would be if a teenager wants to have a stronger relationship with God but his group of friends al smoke and drink. He wants to say no and tell them about God but he isn’t strong enough in faith to do that.