There's wisdom in what the late Cardinal Francis George said in the caption above, "The liberal/conservative thing...is destructive of the Church's mission and her life...for us, the category that matters is true and false." The God of truth is the creator of all ways of thinking and acting (both liberal and conservative). Consider this, Jesus' life, death, and resurrection is the perfect representation of living a fully integrated conservative and liberal search for salvation.
A definition of conservative is "
holding to traditional attitudes and values and cautious about change." In the Gospels we hear Jesus say, "Don't suppose I came to do away with the Law and the Prophets. I did not come to do away with them, but to give them their full meaning."
A definition of liberal is being open to change in attitudes and values. In the Gospels, Jesus breaks from expected religious behavior by healing on the sabbath. Jesus says,
"Which one of you will have a son or an ox fall into a well, and will not immediately pull him out on a Sabbath day?'
For me, Jesus death and resurrection represents the ultimate act of being open to change while simultaneously conserving. Jesus came into the world to both change and save (conserve) humanity. On the cross with outstretched arms, Jesus embraces the change that his dying will bring about. In his rising from the dead, Jesus redeems (conserves) the human race by opening the gates of eternal life.
Jesus gives us the perfect example of how human beings can integrate both conservative and liberal thinking and actions for the good of the Church that he established. In the days ahead as the Church is challenged, let's be guided to the truth by the Holy Spirit rather than hunkering down into conservative and liberal camps and waging war on each other. Truth has a difficult time emerging from such a close-minded struggle. How do we do this as a Church? We each lead with love, respect, and hope rather than hate, distrust, and despair!
