St. Teresa of Avila gives us an insight about the devil's schemes in regards to those who are zealous for God and serious about the practice of their faith...
"There is another temptation we ought to be aware of and take precautions against. We all have zeal for virtue and feel distressed when we see the sins and faults of others. The devil tells us that this distress is caused only by the desire that God may not be offended, and by our concerns for His honour. So we immediately try to set matters right, and get so excited that we cannot pray. The greatest harm of all lies in our thinking that this is a virtue, and a sign of perfection and great zeal for God. I am not speaking of the distress occasioned by public offences that may become habitual in some congregation, nor b such crimes against the Church as those heresies by which we see so many souls are lost. Such distress is very proper, and consequently causes us no excitement. The security of a soul that applies itself to prayer lies in its ceasing to be anxious for anything or anybody, in its watching itself and pleasing God. This is very important. If I were to tell of the mistakes I have seen people make, through reliance on their own good intentions, I should never be done.
Let us endeavor always to look at the virtues and good qualities that we find in others, and to keep our own great sins before our eyes, so that we may see none of their failings. This is one way of working; and although we may not be able to manage it perfectly at once, we shall acquire one great virtue by it: We shall consider everyone else better than ourselves. Then, with God's grace - which is always necessary, since when we do not have it all efforts are useless - we shall begin to progress. At the same time, we must beg Him to grant us this particular virtue, which He denies to no one who makes efforts himself."
[Life of St. Teresa of Avila, Chapter 13]
St. Teresa of Avila's words here are convicting here. We may even consider this in light of the Church and some of the "messiness" going on inside of it...and we know it's there. We're human beings.
First, it is very easy for me to admit that I'm a sinner - nothing new there! But what I'd like to do is give witness to God's doing in my own life - and I am very humiliated before Him about the way I used to be (and didn't even realize it at the time): When we spend less time reading and worrying about all the distortions, messes, and critiques of things those in the hierarchy did/didn't say/do and things going on in the Church in general and put prayer and love of God and neighbor first, then our lives begin to dramatically grow and bear fruit. If we're worrying about something, spending more time thinking/correcting/reading and trying to fix something rather than spending more time growing in prayer, virtue and serving others, we just remain stuck in our own opinions, our own perceptions, our own...self. To be knowledgeable about things and aware, good. To get caught up and excessive about it, bad. I would also like to add how so very subtle and hidden this temptation which St. Teresa of Avila speaks of is. Far from it would we consider ourselves to be of such disposition, unless one is truly docile to the Holy Spirit and yearning to know of their own sins, even their own hidden ones. Then they may see it.
Christ says,
"If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear? All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil." [Matthew 6:30-34]
If God is willing to take care of our physical worries, how much more will He take care of our spiritual worries? Surrender all to Him. Our worries come from our lack of faith. He commands us to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then....dot dot dot, all else falls in place as it should. Trust. In fact, do not worry, Christ admonishes us. Worrying does not add once ounce to our sanctification. Remain in Christ's peace. See others as better than yourself, and even more challenging - look for the virtue in them. Yes, that person you would very much like to critique and perhaps are disgusted by - look for the virtue in them.
Again, St. Teresa advises...
"The security of a soul that applies itself to prayer lies in its ceasing to be anxious for anything or anybody, in its watching itself and pleasing God. This is very important. If I were to tell of the mistakes I have seen people make, through reliance on their own good intentions, I should never be done."
Pray. Pray. Pray. Fall madly in love with Jesus Christ. Lovers in love seek nothing else but ways to spend time together. The spousal analogy is all over Scripture and great Doctors of the Church and saints have elaborated on this profound and intimate union that we are all called to with the Blessed Trinity. Don't only just respect and reverence God (both very good and very necessary things lest we become lax and lazy in our relationship with Him and worship of Him) - but even more importantly, fall in love. Are you madly in love with Jesus Christ, through whom we may enter into the intense and intimate love that dwells between God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit? Further, ask God to remove those blocks in your life that you don't even know are there.
Yes, we need to focus our time and efforts on prayer, virtue, and spiritual reading (and not merely intellectual reading, which can contribute to our intellectual pride); we need to focus on reaching out to our neighbors and be willing and ready to serve others, placing yourself last...no, in fact, forgetting yourself. Practice self-forgetfulness.
"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." [Matthew 16:25]
And remember, "It is love alone that gives worth to all things," St. Teresa reminds us.
Whatever your worries are - physical or spiritual worries - bring them to the Lord. Pray for that person more than you think or speak negatively of them (and I challenge you to watch your thoughts on this matter and practice custody of the mind). When the negative thought about a person comes, offer a prayer for that person and call to mind their virtue, instead of letting the negative thought run its course. The Lord will lovingly attend to your prayer in His way, and better yet....
...He will transform your heart and perhaps even your understanding about the whole matter altogether to see it more clearly and wholly from His perspective.
In the end, let the Holy Spirit mold your heart, and always subject the thoughts, reflections, and opinions of others under Christ and the Church.
And remember, if Satan can use Sacred Scripture to divide us, he can also use Sacred Tradition and traditions to divide and create factions too.
A little, on a side note, from the catechism on Sacred Tradition:
Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture, then, are bound closely together, and communicate one with the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal."40 Each of them makes present and fruitful in the Church the mystery of Christ, who promised to remain with his own "always, to the close of the age."
Scripture and Tradition are two distinct modes of transmission of the one-and-the-same Gospel....
Sacred Scripture is the speech of God as it is put down in writing under the breath of the Holy Spirit. And [Holy] Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the successors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching. As a result the Church, to whom the transmission and interpretation of Revelation is entrusted, does not derive her certainty about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence.
The Tradition here in question comes from the apostles and hands on what they received from Jesus' teaching and example and what they learned from the Holy Spirit. The first generation of Christians did not yet have a written New Testament, and the New Testament itself demonstrates the process of living Tradition.
Tradition is to be distinguished from the various theological, disciplinary, liturgical or devotional traditions, born in the local churches over time. These are the particular forms, adapted to different places and times, in which the great Tradition is expressed. In the light of Tradition, these traditions can be retained, modified or even abandoned under the guidance of the Church's Magisterium.
[Catechism of the Catholic Church #80-83]
Painting: Sermon on the Mount by Carl Bloch
"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves."
-Matthew 11:29