Grace & Peace!
ComradeAndrei:
No we don’t, thank you very much.
Hi Comrade Andrei. I think you misunderstand what I mean by reform/reformation. A better word would be “Renewal.” I try to make a distinction in the post between Reformation and Innovation, the latter often being mistaken for the former. I may not have been very clear.
What I mean is that it is human tendency to want to ossify living truth. This ossification can take many forms–from a hierarchy that looks down on the laity, to a tendency towards empty legalism. The RCC (the institution) has demonstrated both tendencies, so is not exempt from them. The church militant, therefore, needs a spirit of renewal to prevent it from ossifying, from caging up the gospel. I think the reforms of the counter reformation are informative, but they happened too late. The damage of the reformation was done *on both sides *and will require much effort to undo–more effort than it takes for the RCC to smugly say, “Admit you were wrong, heretic.” The fact remains that the reformers had a point to which the RCC did not wish to listen–again, until it was too late.
ComradeAndrei:
Luther and friends could have been saints had they stayed within the limits of the Catholic Church and actually helped it get back on track, however, they followed Satan into rebellion. Constant “reform” leads to innovations that are not in line with the Deposit of Faith. That is why we have the Magisterium-to prevent people from going where they shouldn’t go. Doctrine is not something to play fast and loose with.
Luther and friends had very little choice in the matter and were not following Satan into rebellion. If you read Luther’s writings, he was very solicitous towards the Pope and the hierarchy until it became clear that they had no intention of correcting or addressing the abuses he rightly pointed out. If he is guilty of sin in this regard, it is the sin of schism–but it is a sin in which the hierarchy of the RCC is complicit.
Regarding the Magesterium, I agree that this is a wonderful thing. And I made a point in my previous post to say something to that effect (see the comments re: the tendency of protestant churches to mistake innovation for reformation). I absolutely agree that doctrine is not something to play fast and loose with.
ComradeAndrei:
The Catholic Church doesn’t need any of the inventions of protestantism, though we certainly desire unity with the people in those communities.
I’m not saying that the Catholic Church is in need of inventions. I’m saying that the church is in need of
constant renewal by the Spirit. Even hierarchies can become ossified and distant, mere skeletons of dogma–we see this in the priest abuse scandals, and we saw it in the reformation itself. Renewal is needed. Not innovation. Renewal.
Is it not possible that the Spirit brought about the Reformation impulse? You could argue that Luther was too impatient, that the church would have listened (eventually) to the prompting of the Spirit over time. But the impulse itself
must be listened to. Not Innovation. Reformation and renewal. Protestant and RC alike are in need of Reformation and renewal. And the help the Protestants need will come from the RCC, and, like it or not, the help the RCC needs will come from the Protestants.
The Church is truly the solicitous mother who wants to gather all of her children under her mantle and bring them all to Christ. But history has also shown the church (the institution) to be a ravenous wolf. To refuse to tame the wolf because it is unpleasant to admit that the wolf exists is not only naive, it is shameful and dangerous. Again, I invoke the current abuse crisis as an example of this.
Under the Mercy,
Mark
Deo Gratias!
No, I wasn’t mad at the time (nor am I, now 
); sorry if I came across that way!!
my 2 cents