Renewal is an important way of being a community of faith. We need not shy away from the word or concept. Pope Francis points to rootedness in Christ and his mission:
36. Certainly, as members of the Church, we should not stand apart from others. All should regard us as friends and neighbors, like the apostles, who “enjoyed the good will of all the people” (Acts 2:47; cf. 4:21.33; 5:13). Yet at the same time we must dare to be different, to point to ideals other than those of this world, testifying to the beauty of generosity, service, purity, perseverance, forgiveness, fidelity to our personal vocation, prayer, the pursuit of justice and the common good, love for the poor, and social friendship.
Standing apart from others might include just being boors on various issues. Standing with powers-that-be: that is much more of a problem than chumming with neighbors and friends who might disagree with us. Those ideals mentioned above: these are how we interact with individual persons. People of the Church. People outside of it, or on the fence.
Remember to check Pope Francis’ Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation on this link at the Vatican site.
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