All ya’all know this story.
“A man was trapped in his house during a flood. He began praying to God to rescue him. He had a vision in his head of God’s hand reaching down from heaven and lifting him to safety. The water started to rise in his house. His neighbour urged him to leave and offered him a ride to safety. The man yelled back, “I am waiting for God to save me.” The neighbour drove off in his pick-up truck.
The man continued to pray and hold on to his vision. As the water began rising in his house, he had to climb up to the roof. A boat came by with some people heading for safe ground. They yelled at the man to grab a rope they were ready to throw and take him to safety. He told them that he was waiting for God to save him. They shook their heads and moved on.
The man continued to pray, believing with all his heart that he would be saved by God. The flood waters continued to rise. A helicopter flew by and a voice came over a loudspeaker offering to lower a ladder and take him off the roof. The man waved the helicopter away, shouting back that he was waiting for God to save him. The helicopter left. The flooding water came over the roof and caught him up and swept him away. He drowned.
When he reached heaven and asked, “God, why did you not save me? I believed in you with all my heart. Why did you let me drown?” God replied, “I sent you a pick-up truck, a boat and a helicopter and you refused all of them. What else could I possibly do for you?”
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I wonder sometimes if some people make the same presumption upon the Holy Spirit’s protection of the Church and the Pope?
“Oh…don’t worry,” they say, “the Holy Spirit will protect us. Don’t get upset. Don’t complain. Keep calm, the Holy Spirit will protect us.”
Might the Holy Spirit, like in the tale above, respond, “I sent you those anchored in Tradition and I guided many writers to warn you. I sent you Cardinal Burke, I gave backbone to enough Bishops to stand against this. I gave you all these things so that error would not happen.”
Might those who so loudly proclaim reliance upon the Holy Spirit protecting the Church from error be at the same time decrying His ways?
I don’t presume to know, but it is something to consider.
Just a thought.
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