Blankets...A Metaphor for Faith?

So imagine that faith is a blanket, a luxurious piece of fabric.  Like this!

 As a Catholic, I sometimes come across people who either are taken aback that I believe the Church is pretty much always right theologically or qualify their Catholic faith by certain issues (contraception, abortion, gay marriage, papal infallibility, Immaculate Conception, etc. etc. etc).  

The beauty of that beautiful tapestry, of faith, is accepting each and every thread as part of the big picture.

Don't get me wrong.  There are times that I don't get something.   For example, my understanding of the Church's teachings about human sexuality evolved over time, especially during the last four years and my discovery of Theology of the Body.  However, even though my understanding has deepened, my desire to live that life hasn't really changed.

There is unarguably a difference between acceptance and understanding. 

"Nor do I seek to understand that I may believe, but I believe that I may understand. For this too I believe, that unless I first believe, I shall not understand," said St. Anselm.

Back to the Blanket of Faith.

So what happens if I started separating what the Church teaches from what I believed was right?    Well it'd be like removing one thread from the beautiful blanket. 

In the short run, one thread won't make a big difference.  But, as time goes on, the threads start to add up and the Catholic faith has been unraveled into an unrecognizeable piece of fabric, a threadbare blanket.

This is why acceptance of the Church's teachings are so important.  Who would want to give up their life for a ragged blanket?  The Christian life is truly a beautiful gift, something that should be celebrated as such.

The good news is, even if we fail to recognize the beauty and fall into the dissection of the Catholic faith, Christ died on the Cross for our salvation.  Through the sacrament of Reconciliation, our threadbare blankets aren't just repaired, we get a whole new one!