The Error In Individualism

There was a time when this branch was alive, strong and secure, where birds found a shelter to build their nest and raise their young. 

But it broke away from the tree that give it life. It fell to the ground and died.

Remain in me, as I remain in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it remains on the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me will be thrown out like a branch and wither; people will gather them and throw them into a fire and they will be burned. John 15:

In the Church today, we see increasing numbers of its people detaching themselves from the life of the Church and going it alone. They continue to describe themselves as believers, just that they see no need to go to church, they are sufficient in themselves. 

To paraphrase a notorious voice from the book of Genesis, "... you will be able to determine for yourself what is to be good or evil, not needing to be taught. Gen. 3:5"

Today in our society people confuse the notion of freedom of religious expression, which is part of our liberal democratic rights as citizens, with a kind of infallibility - you believe it, so that makes it right for you. Yes, in Genesis God gives man the freedom to choose, but the choice to get it right or to get it wrong, not to be the author of what is right and wrong. The error in the popular notion of individualism today is the suggestion that I do not need to be taught.

The position of the atheist takes is to remove God from the picture altogether; at least they are taking responsibility when it all goes wrong. It's the "half-believer" who is in the worse condition, mixing up the true God with the me-god, claiming credit for what goes right and blaming God for what goes wrong. The Book of Revelation addresses the situation this way.

“To the angel of the church in Laodicea write: These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth. Rev 3:14

Similar to us today, the people of the church in Laodicea were affluent and so had become lukewarm in the practice of their Faith. "You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked." 

It matters greatly that we stay firmly attached to the life of the Church, which unites us to the life of God. It is within the Church that we remain in communion with Christ and able hear his Voice; discovering, uncovering, and discerning His word to us, so that we may learn more perfectly what is right and true. We mature in the truth, like the branches of a tree, and so are able to bear the fruit of truth by the lives we live.

Fr. Robert Barron's Sermon for Trinity Sunday

The Church, the Tree of Life