When we were kids my best friend and I were ninjas. We developed a whole lore about our origins and how we came to be the world’s top ninjas. We fought invisible opponents. We were defensive when anyone accused us of playing pretend. This is what the Church feels like when leaders like Minnesota’s Bishop Barron exhort a spineless version of discipleship that stands for nothing but whatever power keeps them powerful, under the guise of peace. If you wear and carry the symbols of a shepherd, be a shepherd. Otherwise this is all just a game of dress up.