Mumford's Message to the Church - "Guiding Light"

Last week, Mumford & Sons released a new song, “Guiding Light,” which I’ve already listened to many times!  I’ve been a Mumford fan over the past few years, and I’ve found great depth in their songs, even on the spiritual level (for instance, see my first Mass homily here).  It’s no surprise that their music is popular among young adults – it touches us on a deeper level, connecting our experiences of both beauty and brokenness with a higher reality.

As I’ve listened to “Guiding Light,” I was struck by how fitting this song is for our current time in the Catholic Church.  Undoubtably, we’re in a time of crisis and transition, and many people are longing for the Church’s leadership to respond adequately and firmly, clean up any and all messes, and lead the Church into a renewed mission.  This is the message I hear in this song: I envision what the Church’s faithful (especially in my generation) are saying to the Church’s leadership, and I’d like to go through the song and explain how this is the case.

Disclaimer: I am not attempting to say that Mumford had this in mind in writing the song – I doubt that he did!  Like great pieces of art, this song has a beautiful meaning that can be applied in many different ways.  What follows is simply my application to this particular circumstance; there’s much more meaning to the song than what I’m reflecting on.

All day permanent red
The glaze on my eyes

The glaze on our eyes as we look at the abuse reports . . . the excruciating sorrow we experience at the incredible harm that’s been caused . . . the many tears that have been shed by the faithful, wondering what the Church has really been about all these years. 

When I heard your voice
The distance caught me by surprise again

Even when bishops and church leaders come out with statements or letters, many people are unsatisfied with the typical language of “regret” and “sorrow”; they sense a tremendous distance between their experience and the seeming “complacency” of the bishops (even if this isn’t the reality!).

And I know you claim
That you’re alright

It’s easy to say that we have it all together: “We have the sacraments, the doctrines, the traditions, the papacy, the buildings, the schools, the finances, the appearances  . . .”

But fix your eyes on me
I guess I’m all you have

Without the faithful, especially the youth, where is the Church?

And I swear you’ll see the dawn again

We hold that in the end, Christ is victorious.  But in the darkness, it’s hard to wait for the dawn!

Well I know I had it all on the line
But don’t just sit with folded hands and become blind

Definitely the most pointed line in the song.  Yes, prayer is effective and so good, but prayer is meant to lead us into action.  My spiritual director in college seminary would always ask me, “Are you growing in charity?” because prayer without this love isn’t real prayer.  So many people – laity and priests alike – have put their lives on the line for their faith; is the Church’s leadership willing to do the same?

‘Cause even when there is no star in sight
You’ll always be my only guiding light

Christ gave us the teaching authority of the Church, found primarily in the pope and the bishops (called the “magisterium”), to guide the Church by the power of the Holy Spirit, but because of human weakness exhibited by some of these teachers, it can be very hard to believe.  Yet how would the Church have survived for the past 2,000 years if it weren’t for this power of the Spirit?  Jesus says in Matthew 28:20, “Behold, I am with you always, even until the end of the age.”  Even when there is no star in sight, even when there is corruption, there is a guiding light because Christ will not abandon His Church.  But again, it takes real faith to hold this in times of crisis!

Relate to my youth
Well I’m still in awe of you

I’m blessed have been brought to Christ and the Church in high school by adults and priests who really knew how to relate to us as youth, not by watering down the Gospel but by proclaiming the power of Christ to heal and transform.  That’s why we have seen a resurgence of many of the traditions of the Church over the past few decades.  Will our leadership continue to guide the Church in this direction, or will we fall into what Bishop Barron calls “beige Catholicism”?

Discover some new truth
That was always wrapped around you

It’s easy to think that we have it all together theologically, but we can always delve more deeply into the infinite Truth that God is.  The Church is continuing to discover and live out her identity as the Body of Christ, as we saw clearly in the Second Vatican Council, but as we have seen in these past decades, it’s much more difficult to live out.  Yet Jesus tells us, “The truth will set you free” (John 8:32).

But don’t just slip away in the night
Don’t just hurl your words from on high

This isn’t the time to escape from the Church or from leadership – rather, it’s the time to come close and practice what Pope Francis calls the “art of accompaniment.”

Well I know I had it all on the line
But don’t just sit with folded hands and become blind
‘Cause even when there is no star in sight
You’ll always be my only guiding light

If we come back and we’re broken
Unworthy and ashamed
Give us something to believe in
And you know we’ll go your way

This bridge is so powerful for me.  There’s so much brokenness and shame in the world, and people are begging for healing.  Unfortunately, because of the Church’s image, many don’t even consider the Church as an option for this healing.  Leaders, give the Church something – rather, Someone – to believe in!  Proclaim Christ with your lives, and show us the true attraction of the Gospel – that we are meant for infinite love!

And I know I had it all on the line
But don’t just sit with folded hands and become blind
‘Cause even when there is no star in sight
You’ll always be my only guiding light

Jesus Christ came to the point where there was no star in sight when He was on the cross, crying out, “My God, why have you forsaken me!”  When we as the Church feel forsaken, may we remember that this is the point of redemption, that we join Christ on the cross as He offers Himself to the Father.  This is our choice as the faithful – will we choose to follow the Lord and live as His Bride?  And this is also our choice as leaders – will we choose to live authentic lives of service and love?  

Overall, this song is both a consolation and a challenge for me.  It’s consoling because it puts into music and words what many of us have been feeling in these recent weeks.  It’s challenging because as I prepare for priesthood, I see the kind of priest and leader I’m called to be as a “guiding light.”  I know my own fears and hesitations that keep me broken and distant from others, yet I’ve also seen the grace of God strengthening me for this mission.  Please pray for me and all leaders of the Church, especially for the bishops and priests, as we all journey forward together. 

“The cry of our people must strike us, like Moses, to whom God revealed the suffering of his people in the encounter at the burning bush. Listening to the voice of God in prayer makes us see, makes us hear, know the pain of others in order to free them.  The cry that makes us seek God in prayer and adoration is the same that makes us listen to the lament of our brothers.  They hope in us and we need, starting from a careful discernment, to organize ourselves, plan and be bold and creative in our apostolate."

- Pope Francis, Sept. 23, 2018 in Lithuania, Catholic News Agency