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THE PRIEST
By Kelley Renz, M. A.
The Importance of Catechetical Sunday
The theme of last year's Catechetical
Sunday -- Encountering the Living Christ -- was the perfect precursor not only
to the Holy Father's Jubilee Year of St. Paul but also to this year's theme:
The Word of God in the Life and
''No matter what angle you come at the
study of the faith,'' an elder professor taught, ''you end up face to face with
Christ. We end up face to face with Christ when we study Mary: 'Do whatever he
tells you.' ''
We end up face to face with Christ when we
study Paul: ''It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me'' (Gal 2:19).
And, God willing, we shall end up face to face with this Living Christ when we
embark on this year's study, beginning Sept. 21, 2008: The Word of God in the
Life and
We are already knee-deep in the study of
Paul, the Jubilee year having begun June 28, 2008. This prolific writer, Paul,
who realized he did not have true sight until he ''saw'' the Lord Jesus Christ,
left us with inspired words, words in which we are now wading:
''The message of the cross is foolishness
to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of
God'' (1 Cor 18:1).
''Therefore God has highly exalted him and
bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every
tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father''
(Phil 2:9-11).
''For in him all the fullness of God was
pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether
on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross'' (
So, then, how does this theme, this The
Word of God in the Life and
We are already being asked to study
Paul put the mission of the Church in
writing, this mission, shown to him by Christ himself. So what is it? What does
Paul say the mission is? What does Paul say the very life of the Church is?
This is our assignment. We are to weave these questions inside and outside, and
through the very middle of every class we teach, every lesson we learn, every
discussion we have this catechetical year.
What does the Word of God say about the
mission of the Church?
What does the Word of God say about the
life of the Church?
Over and over, again and again, we must
ask ourselves these questions, as we read, pray with, and meditate on the 13
letters of Paul. And we are assured our study will bear fruit, for it is the
Living Word of God that we will be taking in and reflecting on.
Catechetical Sunday in History
Pope Pius XI, in 1935, encouraged local
churches to set aside a Sunday to celebrate, recognize and give vision to
catechesis. ''The faithful should be called together in the parish, and having
received the Holy Eucharist, they should pray to obtain greater fruit from
catechesis (divine teaching).''
Pope Pius called for a special sermon on
the necessity of catechetical instruction and a reminder to parents about their
duty to instruct their children in the faith. The Holy Father called for materials
to be published to attain these ends and a collection taken up to provide for
them. (On Better Care for Catechetical Teaching, Provido sane consilio).
Michael Steier, associate director of the Secretary
of Catechesis and Evangelization, said the theme for Catechet- ical Sunday is
the same as that of the International Synod of Bishops (October 2009).
Therefore, the Church will be focused together on the Word of God, especially
the writings of
In times past, Steier said, the theme for
Catechetical Sunday used to be taken from that Sunday's readings. However, it
was decided by the USCCB's Committee on Catechesis that the theme of the third
Sunday of September should come from catechetical documents, thus giving
catechetical vision to the year of study.
The Sunday Celebration
The USCCB Publishing house makes many
materials available to celebrate Catechetical Sunday, from posters and prayer
cards to reflections and an outline to incorporate the rite of blessing into
the homily at Mass. Parishes invite all catechists -- faith formation teachers
as well as parochial school teachers -- to be recognized, celebrated,
commissioned, and prayed for at this special
Catechetical Sunday is a once-a-year event
that celebrates the ongoing witness and dedication of catechists and the
support and participation of the entire community. Catechesis is ministry for
lifetime, one that opens our hearts to Christ's love, draws us into a deeper
relationship with him, and invites us to assume our role in being his faithful
disciples in our world today (Catechesis: Encountering the Living Christ; www.stmaron.org).
In short, Catechetical Sunday's goal is to
push each us into an encounter with the Living Christ. The USCCB materials can
be ordered from http://www.usccbpublishing.org
TP
By Kelley Renz, M.A.
KELLEY RENZ, M.A., is a master
catechist and freelance editor/writer. She is the author of God Listens to Our
Children (Our Sunday Visitor, 2004) and the blog "Dear God, This Is Kelley,"
http://deargodthisiskelley.
blogspot.com. She lives in
By
Daniel J. Mahan
Strengths-Based Leadership
Understanding the talents of others and
helping them to put them to use is a role of pastors
Most pastors are sitting on top of a gold mine -- a
gold mine of talent, that is. Parishes are vibrant when the talents of
staff and parishioners are used for the sake of the Kingdom. The talent of the
catechist who was born to teach seventh graders is a priceless commodity. The
talent of the bereavement committee member who has a particular ability to
connect with widowers is an invaluable gift. The talents of those who have compassion
for and a passion to aid the poor, the less fortunate and the unborn are truly
worth more than silver or gold.
The good news is that most pastors sit atop
inexhaustible sources of talent just waiting to be mined and put to good use.
The bad news is that the tools and knowledge for extracting the gold from the
mines are in short supply.
What else can explain the fact that in many parishes
the same people seem to do all the work -- and are weary of doing it? What else
can explain the vast number of Catholics who attend Mass but are otherwise not
engaged in the life and mission of the parish?
This article will argue that a proper understanding of
talent is key to engaging parishioners in the life and ministry of the parish
community. Furthermore, when a pastor appreciates his own unique talents, he is
better equipped to develop a style of leadership and management that will be a
tremendous blessing for the parish and the wider Church. A practical approach
that is accessible to priests and parishioners will be outlined.
The word talent comes from the Greek word talentos
found in the New Testament parable of the talents (Mt 25:14-30). A very
valuable coin, the talentos was the equivalent of 6,000 dinarii, the daily wage
for an unskilled laborer. Given the current minimum wage and the forty hour
work week, a talentos is worth nearly $250,000.
As the English language developed, no better word
could be found to describe the God-given gift, ability or aptitude that is a
talent. A talent is a natural, God-given pattern of thought, feeling or
behavior that can be productively applied.1
Talent is why Tiger Woods could swing a golf club with
perfect form at the age of three, and why he breaks new records every year.
Earl Woods recognized in his son a priceless treasure, a natural talent that
would be honed and strengthened through lessons, practice and competitive play.
Anyone who has watched Tiger play the perfect shot at
exactly the right moment in a major tournament knows that some things cannot be
taught. Talent is the key to understanding Tiger's success, as it is the key to
understanding why certain ministries in our parishes flourish. The more the
pastor understands talent, the more likely he is to succeed in extracting the
gold from the mine upon which he stands.
The Need to Share Our Talents
Most parishes have a catalog that contains a
description and listing of the contact person for each ministry and program in
which parishioners can become involved. Many parishes conduct an annual
''Ministry Fair'' in which the various ministries set up displays.
While both approaches are commendable, they both
proceed from the same starting point: the need of the parish. Both communicate
effectively a message such as, ''St. Mary's needs five catechists, four ushers,
and three counters of the collection.'' Both usually meet with less than
spectacular results. Few contact persons listed in the catalog need to install
a second phone line to handle the volume of calls!
A more effective way to mine the gold is to use an
approach that proceeds from the need of every member of the parish to share his
or her priceless talents. This need runs deep within the heart and, when
fulfilled, leads to a person becoming fully engaged in parish life.
When talent is tapped into and given an opportunity
for expression, the person sharing the talent feels that he or she is truly
part of the parish community and participates constructively in its mission. A
person whose talents have been engaged in a meaningful way is likely to feel a
sense of belonging that deepens his or her commitment to the parish.
Furthermore, the awareness of one's talents gives a
person new insights into how to understand family relationships and how to
approach one's work.
Talent is an extremely precious commodity, yet many
parishes suffer from a lack of awareness of just how valuable talent really is.
Sometimes individuals who are highly talented in and committed to a particular
ministry are conscripted into additional responsibilities in another area of parish
life; they have been persuaded with the argument, ''We need you because we
can't find anyone else, and if you don't do it, we will have to discontinue
that ministry.''
Sadly, such generous, responsible parishioners spend
many hours laboring at ministries for which they are not naturally suited,
rather than focusing upon doing what they do best in their service to the
Church. Burnout for that parishioner is not only possible, it is highly likely.
An Effective Tool
In the case above, what underlies the fear of not
being able to find anyone else to help out in a parish of hundreds or even
thousands of families? It's not a lack of talent as the vast majority of
parishioners have the talent to succeed at their place of work. Rather, the
fear arises from the fact that most parishes lack the tools and knowledge to be
good stewards of those same talents, drawing them forth and putting them to
good use for the sake of the Kingdom.
A proven instrument for identifying talent is emerging
as a powerful tool for use in our parishes. The use of the Clifton
StrengthsFinder(tm) has helped businesses, schools and health care institutions
place employees in positions in which they could do what they do best most of
the time.
These employees, who spend most of their time working
on projects for which they are naturally talented, show a high degree of
productivity, satisfaction and loyalty to the company. Simply put, they are
more engaged in their work.
This same instrument is now available for parish use.
Every copy of the Catholic Edition of Living Your Strengths2 contains an access
code to the online talent assessment. Readers who take the 30-minute assessment
are given an explanation of their top five talent themes, along with practical
suggestions for putting their talents to use in the parish.
A companion workbook (Living Your Strengths Journey)
allows small groups of parishioners to learn more about their own talents and
grow in an appreciation for the talents of others. Specialized training in
Strengths Coaching is available through the
St. Gerard Majella Parish in Port Jefferson Station,
N.Y., has been using Living Your Strengths for several years, and the results
are astounding. By learning more about their talents, hundreds of parishioners
have become engaged in the life of the parish.
Marie Guido, the parish gifts coordinator reports,
''It is so amazing to see people discover their strengths and then see a
ministry that is right for them instead of us having to go out recruiting to
'fill slots!' It is so refreshing and such a joy!''3
Marie leads the small-group experience at St. Gerard
and is also certified to provide one-on-one individualized strengths
''coaching.'' Some parishioners choose to participate in the group experience,
some prefer a one-on-one setting, and still others take advantage of both
opportunities.
The result is a growing number of parishioners who
have a deeper appreciation for their God-given talents and who are now putting
those talents to use in the parish in ways they never thought possible.
Strengths-based Leadership
Calling forth parishioners to use their talents and to
''do what they do best'' for the sake of the Kingdom is more than a program
that is administered by a staff member. Rather, it is a conviction that the
role of the pastor is to call forth and animate the gifts and talents found
within the parish.
The pastor is called to lead as Jesus did, by
recognizing the unique talents and strengths of disciples and equipping them to
go forth into particular roles of service and evangelization.
Priests are not always aware of their own unique
talents, nor do they always recognize how powerful can be their encouragement
of the talents of others. As an authentic leader, the pastor learns to lead
from his own strengths, rather than trying to imitate the tactics of others.
Priests need help with this, for priestly leadership
is the learned, artful application of skills and knowledge for the great benefit
of the Church. The priest who is a great leader is one who is capable of
crafting and communicating a vision for the parish community and who mentors
others, helping them to discover and then do what they do best.
A priest can learn this approach -- leading from his
own strengths, crafting a parish vision, mentoring others -- at an intensive
strengths-based leadership and management course now offered to pastors at the
Working within a cohort of six to 14 brother priests,
the pastor hones and develops a style of leadership that fits his own unique
set of talents. Further- more, the pastor receives an analysis of data about
the level of engagement of his own staff and parishioners that is invaluable in
helping him to lead in that particular parish.
Conclusion
The Lord has blessed every human being with a unique
set of talents. In the words of
2 Ibid; available through www.catholicstrengths.com
3Inside the Engaged Congregation: A Case Study of the
By Frank J. Matera
Preaching
Paul's Story
Preaching
from the Pauline epistles can be challenging as well as exhilarating. It is
challenging because most preachers are more familiar and comfortable with the
Gospels than they are with Paul's letters. It is exhilarating because Paul's
letters present preachers with new ways to proclaim the Gospel. This Pauline year,
then, affords preachers an opportunity to revitalize their ministry by
preaching the Gospel according to Paul.
In order to
preach the Gospel according to Paul, however, preachers must ground themselves
in the story of redemption that informs the Apostle's theology. To be sure,
there is no one letter where Paul explicitly sets forth the whole story.
Nonetheless,
his letters contain numerous indications of the narrative that undergirds his
proclamation of the Gospel -- a narrative that ought to inform our preaching as
well. In what follows, I outline Paul's story of redemption in five steps.
After outlining that story, I suggest some ways in which this narrative can and
should inform our preaching, even when we are not preaching from a Pauline
text.
The
Human Plight Apart from God
Paul's story
begins with the conviction that humanity is in dire need of salvation, a plight
that Paul describes in Rom 1:18-3:20. In this rhetorically powerful passage, he
argues that no one will be justified before God on the basis of doing the works
of the law (Rom 3:20), for all -- whether they know it or not -- are under the
domination of a cosmic power that Paul calls ''Sin'' (Rom 3:9).
Adam
introduced this power into the world by his transgression, and with Sin came
yet another cosmic power called ''Death'' (Rom 5:12).
According to
Paul's story, humanity finds itself in a predicament from which it cannot free
itself. In Pauline language, humanity needs to be justified by, and reconciled
to, God. Humanity needs to be redeemed from its slavery to Sin and saved from
the power of Death that separates it from God.
God's
Response to the Human Plight
The second
step in Paul's story begins with the Apostle's call or conversion. In that
extraordinary moment, God revealed his Son to Paul. In light of that
revelation, Paul understood that the One whose followers he had persecuted was
none other than the Son of God.
A Pharisee
who hoped for the endtime resurrection of the dead, Paul now knew that the
general resurrection of the dead had already begun in God's Messiah. In Christ
the old age of Sin and Death had come to an end, and a new age of Grace and
Life had begun.
Previous to
his call and conversion, Paul lived according to the prescriptions of the
Mosaic law. He could boast that at that time he was blameless ''in
righteousness based on the law'' (Phil 3:6). But when he encountered the risen
Lord, he understood that whatever righteousness he had attained through legal
observance paled in comparison to the surpassing righteousness God graciously
offered in Christ.
In light of
his call and conversion, Paul understood that Christ was God's response to the
human plight. Through Christ, God freely justified the many. In Christ, God
reconciled the world to himself (2 Cor 5:19). Whereas Adam was the progenitor
of a history of Sin and Death, Christ was the progenitor of a history of Grace
and Life. In Christ, the first to rise from the dead, God had inaugurated a new
creation.
The
Community of the Sanctified
The third
step in Paul's story is the Church. Because Christ is the new Adam, the one in
whom God inaugurates a new creation, salvation occurs in the body of Christ,
which is the Church. It is not surprising, then, that the Church plays such a
central role in Paul's story of redemption.
The Church
is the sanctified community of those whom God has called and elected in Christ.
The Church is the temple of the living God where God's own Spirit dwells. The
Church is the body of Christ, in which each member plays a vital role. The
Church is God's new humanity in which the differences of social status, race
and gender are no longer of any account.
For Paul it
is inconceivable that those who have been justified and reconciled by Christ
should live apart from the community of the Church. The justified and
reconciled live within a community of like-minded believers, members of one
body, who witness to the salvation God has effected in Christ.
The
Life of the Justified and Redeemed
The fourth
step in Paul's story has to do with the moral life of believers who live in the
community of the Church. Although some mistakenly suppose that Paul's teaching
on justification by faith leaves little or no room for the moral life, this is
not true.
Paul's
letters are filled with moral exhortation and guidance. For Paul the moral life
is made possible by the power of God's indwelling Spirit. Whereas unredeemed
humanity was unable to accomplish God's law because it dwelt in the realm of
Sin and Death, those who are in Christ have been empowered by the Spirit to
fulfill God's law through the love commandment.
For Paul,
the moral life is the grateful response of the justified and redeemed to God's
gracious act in Christ. The moral life is an act of worship.
The
Hope of the Redeemed
The final
step in Paul's story has not yet occurred. Consequently, I call it the hope of
the redeemed. For, although the redeemed have already been justified and
reconciled to God, they have not yet been saved. This, of course, will sound
strange, given the claims of some Christians that they are already saved.
But the
reality is that the redeemed still wait in hope for their final salvation,
which will occur when the Lord returns and the dead are raised incorruptible.
The general resurrection of the dead will be the completion of God's redemptive
work because then, and only then, will the last enemy -- Death -- be destroyed
(1 Cor 15:26).
In the time
between Christ's resurrection and parousia, the community of the sanctified
(the Church) waits in hope for that moment when it will share in Christ's
resurrection.
Paul's story
can be summarized in this way. Under the powers of Sin and Death, humanity
found itself in a predicament from which it could not extricate itself. But God
graciously justified and reconciled humanity through Christ. The redeemed now
live in the community of the Church where, empowered by the Spirit, they lead a
morally good life as they wait for the fullness of their redemption that will
occur at the general resurrection of the dead.
Application:
Preaching Paul's Story
Preachers
acquainted with Paul's redemptive story will find their preaching invigorated
by the Gospel according to Paul, even when they are not preaching from a
Pauline text. Allow me to return to Paul's story to illustrate how it can
inform our preaching today.
First, since
humanity has been rescued from a predicament from which it could not free
itself, it is important for preachers to remind their congregations of the
human situation apart from Christ. Left to itself, humanity is under the
domination of Sin and Death.
These
powers, which Paul personifies, manifest themselves in a multitude of ways:
consumerism, materialism, excessive capitalism, and addictions of all kinds.
The challenge of Pauline preaching is to expose and reveal how these
''accomplices'' of Sin and Death rule the world today and threaten the life of
the sanctified.
Second, if
Christ's death and resurrection is God's response to the powers of Sin and
Death, our preaching needs to focus on this central redemptive act. Aware that
there is no single adequate way to explain God's work in Christ, Paul employed
a variety of metaphors to describe what God has done: justification,
reconciliation, the forgiveness of sins, redemption, sanctification, the new creation,
freedom, etc.
Making use
of these and other metaphors, Pauline preaching should focus on the cross as
the locus of God's power, and on the resurrection as the promise of God's new
creation. It should not talk about trivialities but about what truly matters --
God's redemptive work in Christ.
Third, since
the Church is the body of Christ, the temple of God's Spirit, the community of
the sanctified, Pauline preaching is ecclesial in nature. It shows the
relationship between God's work in Christ and the community of believers. It
reminds the redeemed that they have been incorporated into the new Adam, the
progenitor of a renewed humanity.
Pauline
preaching draws attention to the community rather than to the individual by
reminding believers that they have been gathered into the Church, ''the Israel
of God'' (Gal 5:16), God's own people. Such preaching speaks of ''us'' rather
than of ''me.''
Fourth,
Pauline preaching exhorts the congregation to live a morally good life in
Christ. In doing so, however, preachers must not become moralists who merely
present their congregations with lists of ''dos'' and ''don'ts.'' Pauline moral
exhortation reminds the congregation of its dignity in Christ. It reminds the
congregation that it is a sanctified community that God has graciously and
freely redeemed.
Consequently,
the congregation should live in accordance with the gift that has been bestowed
upon it. Put another way, preachers will exhort their congregations to live as
the new creation they are in Christ. Thus the moral imperative -- what we ought
to do -- will be grounded in the indicative of salvation -- what God has done
for us in Christ.
Finally,
Pauline preaching reminds the congregation of its hope in Christ. Pauline
preaching affirms that the final act of God's redemptive work is not yet
complete. In a way and at a time known only to God, Christ will come again.
When he does, the last and greatest enemy -- Death -- will be destroyed.
The
proclamation of Christ's death and resurrection, then, must include the neglected
doctrine of the general resurrection of the dead. For it is at the general
resurrection of the dead that we will be conformed to Christ's resurrection and
our salvation will be complete.
Preaching
the Gospel according to Paul requires time to become familiar with the
Apostle's story of redemption. Those who take the time will renew their
preaching. In doing so, they will proclaim what their congregation and the
world needs to hear. TP
FATHER
MATERA is the Andrews-Kelly-Ryan Professor of Biblical Studies at The Catholic
University of America. A past president of the Catholic Biblical Association of
America and a priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford, he was ordained in 1968
and received his Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from Union Theological Seminary in Richmond,
Va., in 1981. Father Matera is a specialist in Pauline Literature and New
Testament Theology. Among his recent writings are three works on New Testament
Theology (New Testament Ethics: the Legacies of Jesus and Paul; New Testament
Christology, and New Testament Theology: Exploring Diversity and Unity). He is
also the author of commentaries on Galatians and Second Corinthians. He is now
working on a commentary on Romans.
By Paul E. Duggan
Visio
Christi et Mariae
The
Virgin is the ideal representation of full redemption
Lumen
Gentium, the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, indicates a certain
flexibility in terminology as theologians describe the various truths in
relation to the core Christian message and still maintain an elementary agreement
in truth.
In this
sense it is impossible to speak of ''an inessential article of faith,'' if by
that we mean a dogmatic statement concerning an inessential part of Christian
truth. No article is inessential since all belief ultimately resides in Christ,
the One who redeems, who points to the Father, and who sent the Spirit.
Consequently, in order for the Assumption dogma to be a Christian dogma, it
must shed some light upon various mysteries of Christ.
The
Assumption is presented in its relationship to the core truths of faith as
revealed in the totality of God's soteriological plan. Dominican Father
Frederick M. Jelly described the necessary connection of Mary in her Assumption
with these truths.
The triune God revealed in the
Incarnate Word, our Redeemer, and also in the intimate relationship with the
mystery of the Church the members of His redeemed Body of which she is a part.
In the
estimation of Father Eric Doyle, O.F.M., this research must be construed as one
small part of that quest for the proper place of Mary in the Mystical Body, the
People of God, under Christ and through the Spirit.
The study of the Virgin Mary is a
study of the meaning of salvation and of the Church in history. It is about a
concrete person in whom God's grace was victorious.
While the
Assumption is necessarily about Christ, it must contain additional insights
about His Paschal Mystery. Father Camillus Hay, O.F.M., saw a value for the
hierarchy of truths for the theologian in verbalizing and conceptualizing
soteriological mission.
Upon the Roman Catholic theologian
rests the particular task and responsibility of showing the doctrines
particular to his Church are, in fact, fairly immediate consequences of our
common and basic affirmation that Jesus the Christ is Lord.
The
Assumption of Mary has an integral connection with the entire Christian
message. It cannot be denied without prejudice to the core truths. This
privilege is interlocked, not only with Marian, but also with other truths.
Donal Flanagan concluded that Marian dogmas do not simply impart information
about our Lady, but rather speak of the very nature of salvation as
accomplished through Christ and His faith community.
A compelling
characteristic of the writings of Father Hans Urs von Balthasar is that he refuses
to consider a subject in isolation. In his ''concentric vision,'' he sees
related subjects emanating from a common center. This core is seen as the unity
of the Paschal Mystery. His method reflected God's interior nature and His
redemptive dealings with humankind in related subjects emanating from a common
center.
Von
Balthasar presented the visio Christi et Mariae: Mary is seen not in isolation
but in the context of the fullness of revelation. The entire deposit of faith
shares a common source. The truths are distinct but inseparable; they are
concentric circles that interact continuously one with the other.
In extending
this principle of concentric unity to all the mysteries of faith, von Balthasar
is exhibiting his theological obedience to the actual manner God has chosen to
redeem humankind, a manner reflecting the very interior nature of God himself.
The
Saving Jesus Christ
The one
central mystery that has been revealed to humankind is that of the saving Jesus
Christ, truly God, truly human. When God wished to reveal his plan for
humankind's final salvation he did not use words; he acted. God sent His Son.
He revealed a person, the human and divine Jesus Christ. The sum of all that
was revealed from Him and the apostles is what de facto constituted revelation.
The apostles
were aware of the relationship of Mary with the soteriological mission of her
Son and her overall place in His life. Other mysteries of faith are contained
in the revelation of the Lord Jesus. In a certain sense this is inclusively
true of the Trinity. The mystery of Mary is found in the mystery of her Son.
Consequently there is an implicit revelation.
Jesuit
Father Karl Rahner reiterated that it was impossible for an imperfect being to
perceive a bodily condition like this, perfected and glorified. In his bodily
resurrection, the Lord appeared to his followers, not in the reality of his
glorified bodily condition, but only in a mode in which the glorified may
appear to the unglorified in flesh and bone. Rahner stated:
For the inner nature of his bodily
condition could only be made deeply evident for what it is in itself to those
who live in this new mode of existence.
Paul
reminded the faithful that little is known about the new condition required for
entry into glory. Yet, humankind will possess an incorruptible, glorious,
spiritual body (1 Cor 15:42), and reflect upon visions of a new heaven and a
new earth (Rev 21).
Prior to the
19th century, prescinding from defined matters of faith, theologians pictured
heaven in space, existent prior to the Resurrection, an abode for the glorified
body, goal of the Resurrection: ''Time ran its course ... in space; in virtue
of being glorified the body came to its new place, a place connatural to it,
existing prior to it and possessing the properties of glorification.''
According to
Rahner, heaven must be considered as a condition. If a concept of spatiality
must be retained to localize humankind's bodily condition, the place cannot be
named. Spatiality must be conceived as a function of saving history, of the
time which shapes this space. Heaven is not a goal to attain but rather the
result of Christ's victorious Resurrection. Time, an historical event,
previously had been considered a function of space in which it moved.
Rahner
stated that, on the contrary, space should be considered as a function of time:
They both arise from the positioning of an historical happening.
Transforming
glorification, no longer commensurable with space, cannot be represented; it
must be postulated, since the truly bodily condition of someone who has risen
in glory must not be dissipated by a false spiritualization. The world has been
given a new heavenly dimension, a new order, through the Resurrection.
The world
has obtained a new mode of being, beginning with the glorified body of Christ,
by means of its history in Christ, which is material and spiritual at once, of
flesh and person in the one Spirit of God which renews all things. Heaven is
not necessarily deprived of a ''space concept'' because time and history shape
space, and do not intrinsically presuppose it.
The realty
of Christ and the saints in new life possess a cosmic bond with the present
unglorified reality. The eternity of God and humankind is not comparable, since
God's eternity is equally immediate to every point in time and cannot have any
application of time made to it. The eternity of the earthly in glory is a
result of God's saving action in time and history, which projects the temporal
into eternity through a discrete process.
The phrase,
''born of the Virgin Mary,'' implies more that the fact that Mary is the mother
of the Lord and has consequently bestowed upon her Son his earthly existence
from her flesh. Mary became mother: in her flesh and through her faith the
eschatological event of salvation took place. This drew after it everything
else as its inner consequence, so that Mary appears as herself, the perfectly
redeemed, the perfect representation of redemption. The concept of perfect
redemption is dynamic rather than static; it is subject to a continual growth
in understanding.
Although
there may yet be thousands of years in which to live, the end of time in Christ
has already commenced. Since the Virgin is the ideal representation of full
redemption through her exemplary place in salvation history, she is today in
perfect communion with God in the glorified reality of her real being (soul and
body) which certainly exists today. TP
FATHER
DUGGAN is a graduate of the Jesuit School of Theology in the Graduate
Theological Union, Berkeley, Calif., and the Pontifical Marianum in union with
its affiliate, the International Marian Research Institute at the University of
Dayton.
By Greg Erlandson
A Message of
Renewal and Hope
Pope Benedict
energized us, but where do we go from here?
Americans solely reliant on the secular news media for their knowledge of the Pope Benedict XVI's historic visit to the United States last spring would be forgiven for concluding that the purpose of his historic visit last April was to address the sex scandal, talk to the United Nations about human rights, and speak out on the political hot buttons of immigration and abortion.
Such casual observers of the papal visit would be surprised, therefore, to find that the sum total of these references would add up to less than two pages out of the many thousands of words spoken by Benedict during his six-day visit.
Indeed, he did address the clergy sex abuse scandals directly, starting with comments made during his flight to the United States and then most eloquently while speaking to the U.S. bishops. Picking up on words that Cardinal Francis George used, the Pope admitted that the issue was ''sometimes very badly handled,'' and he moved beyond his expression of ''deep shame'' for the abuse that had occurred in the Church to discuss the wider context of sexual abuse that is epidemic in U.S. society.
He also called the bishops' attention back to the vast majority of priests who feel themselves shamed by the actions of a few. He told the American bishops that ''a vital part of your task is to strengthen relationships with your clergy, especially in those cases where tension has arisen between priests and their bishops in the wake of the crisis.''
By being so sincere and open in his comments and actions (such as meeting with the victims of abuse), in only a few days Pope Benedict managed to both address the controversy and move beyond it in a way that no U.S. church leader has been capable of doing.
That said, the headline stories did not begin to capture the richness of the papal texts or the audacious agenda the Pope had set for his visit: the renewal of the U.S. Church and, through the renewed witness of Catholics, American society.
Benedict laid out his agenda in his first talk at the White House on April 16: ''I trust that my visit will be a source of renewal and hope for the Church in the United States, and strengthen the resolve of Catholics to contribute ever more responsibly to the life of this nation....''
The Pope's entire visit had a dual purpose -- naming clearly the challenges faced by the Church, and then pointing the way toward how best to affect its renewal.
The challenges are significant. Not just society, but also the Church is threatened by secularism, radical individualism, relativism and materialism. He was perhaps most explicit in his speech to the U.S. bishops his first full day in Washington, when he called these -isms ''barriers'' to an encounter with Christ.
Relativism, he told the bishops, would ''reduce religious belief to a lowest common denominator'' with ''no practical relevance to everyday life.''
In a short, yet profound, speech at an ecumenical prayer service in New York, he went further, describing one of the impacts of a ''relativistic approach to Christian doctrine'' found even in religious communities the tendency to ''relegate religion entirely to the subjective sphere of the individual feeling,'' This would imply that what is '''knowable' is limited to the empirically verifiable,'' thus restricting religion ''to the shifting realm of 'personal experience.'''
''The contemporary 'crisis of truth' is rooted in a 'crisis of faith,''' the Pope told educators. And truth, ultimately, is found in the encounter with Jesus Christ.
Indeed, the speeches are profoundly Christological in orientation, so much so that it almost comes as a surprise to realize that even Mary is mentioned almost nowhere in these talks. The focus is squarely on Jesus.
But the Holy Father did not stop at simply diagnosing our current ills. As you sift through his speeches, you see that he also prescribes certain priorities that can spur a renewal of the Catholic Church in this country and, by extension, begin the renewal of American society.
1. Appreciate Our
American Catholic Roots
To a society that seems to be in danger of losing its way, Pope Benedict reminded it of its impressive legacy. At the White House, he displayed a keen appreciation of the ideals upon which our nation was founded, even quoting George Washington's farewell address to remind Americans that ''religion and morality represent 'indispensable supports' of political prosperity.''
Pope Benedict knows the history of our country well, and he reminded us in nearly every talk of our Catholic roots as well. At Yankee Stadium, he spoke of the ''impressive growth which God has given the Church in your country in the past 200 years.''
He mentioned the ''towering figures'' of our past, such as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. He noted the generosity of our Catholic ancestors who worked together to build up a great network of churches, hospitals and schools in every corner of our country. He praised our historic openness to the immigrant, the needy and the sick, and the sacrifices made by that young Church for the sake of God's Kingdom.
''On these solid foundations, the future of the Church in America must even now begin to rise!'' he told us.
2. Make Education a
Priority
Pope Benedict particularly stressed the importance of knowing our faith. As he told the bishops, ''The importance of providing sound formation in the faith cannot be overstated.'' He praised the high value that Catholics have placed on religious education, and he said religious education for children, youth and adults must be ''maintained and expanded.''
These are tough words to hear in a time of financial belt-tightening, staff reductions and the fallout of the huge financial settlements many dioceses have been forced to pay as the result of the sex abuse scandals.
Yet the Pope urges us to make education in the faith a priority. ''The fidelity and courage with which the Church in this country will respond to the challenges raised... will depend in large part upon your own fidelity in handing on the treasure of your Catholic faith,'' he said at Nationals Stadium.
Much progress has been made in developing solid programs of religious education, he added. ''Yet so much more remains to be done in forming the hearts and minds of the young in knowledge and love of the Lord. The challenges confronting us require a comprehensive and sound instruction in the truths of the faith.''
3. Live Our Faith
Every Day
Education in the faith is only part of the challenge. Pope Benedict said he wants us to form a ''mindset...which is genuinely Catholic, confident in the profound harmony of faith and reason, and prepared to bring the richness of faith's vision to bear on the urgent issues which affect the future of American society.''
Being a good Catholic, an active Catholic, is about much more than being a lector or a parish volunteer, in other words. Ours is not just a Sunday faith, but is meant to be practiced in the world every day.
''Is it consistent to profess our beliefs in church on Sunday, and then during the week to promote business practices or medical procedures contrary to those beliefs?'' he asked the bishops.
The Pope noted ''the troubling realization that many of the baptized, rather than acting as a spiritual leaven in the world, are inclined to embrace attitudes contrary to the truth of the Gospel.''
''Any tendency to treat religion as a private matter must be resisted,'' he told them. ''Only when their faith permeates every aspect of their lives do Christians become truly open to the transforming power of the Gospel.''
In the Our Father, we pray that ''Thy Kingdom come.'' It is our task to work for the growth of the Lord's Kingdom, a task that we must face with confidence, he said at Yankee Stadium. ''It means overcoming every separation between faith and life, and countering false gospels of freedom and happiness.'' This is no contradiction between our faith and our political life, he said, for our goal is ''to enrich American society and culture with the beauty and truth of the Gospel.''
4. Defend the Weakest
Among Us
Pope Benedict reminded us of our duty to ''care for the poor, the sick and the stranger in [our] midst.'' Our care for those who cannot defend themselves are based on our belief in the ''inalienable dignity and rights of each man, woman and child in our world -- including the most defenseless of all human beings, the unborn child in the mother's womb.''
This was not the only political hot button that the Pontiff pushed during his visit. To the bishops, he said: ''I want to encourage you and your communities to continue to welcome the immigrants who join your ranks today... This, indeed, is what your fellow countrymen have done for generations.''
And lest the point be missed, Pope Benedict explicitly urged the bishops to speak up:
Theirs is ''a respected voice that has much to offer to the discussion of the pressing social and moral questions of the day.'' There are many issues of moral concern, he added, and the Catholic community ''needs to offer a clear and united witness on such matters.''
5. Seek Unity
The theme of unity came up in other contexts as well. Pope Benedict made several statements expressing sorrow for the divisions within our Church and calling on Catholics to ''reaffirm their unity in the apostolic faith.''
''Was not this unity of vision and purpose -- rooted in faith and a spirit of constant conversion and self-sacrifice -- the secret of the impressive growth of the Church in this country?'' he asked.
One of the ''great disappointments'' of recent history ''has been the experience of division between different groups, different generations, different members of the same religious family,'' he told priests and seminarians. ''We can only move forward if we turn our gaze together to Christ!''
''In the light of faith,'' he added, ''we will then discover the wisdom and strength needed to open ourselves to points of view which may not necessarily conform to our own ideas or assumptions.''
To the bishops he said: ''There is a need for all of us to move beyond sterile divisions, disagreements and preconceptions, and to listen together to the voice of the Spirit who is guiding the Church into a future of hope.''
6. Make Christ the
Center of My Life
Turning our gaze together to Christ was the core of the Holy Father's message to us. He reminded us that the Church's mission is ultimately one of evangelization, introducing people to Christ's ''transforming love and truth.'' This is where renewal begins, he told the educators: ''Those who meet him are drawn by the very power of the Gospel to lead a new life characterized by all that is beautiful, good and true; a life of Christian witness nurtured and strengthened within the community of our Lord's disciples, the Church.''
The faith is not simply a matter of rules and prohibitions, but is about the liberating encounter that we have with the Lord in prayer, in the Sacraments and the liturgy, and in our world. ''Our most urgent challenge,'' the Pope told priests and seminarians, ''is to communicate the joy born of faith and the experience of God's love.''
When the Holy Father left the United States on April 20, the news media immediately moved on to other crises and controversies. But his words must not be forgotten if the renewal that he preached is to occur.
To renew our Church and our country today, we must grow in knowledge of the faith and live out that faith in our daily lives. We must not think only of ourselves, but live for the sake of others -- as our ancestors did, as Christ did for us -- in our parishes and our community.
This is not just a task for overburdened pastors and parish staff. It is a task that all Catholics must share in if it is to be successful. TP
MR. ERLANDSON is the president and publisher of Our Sunday Visitor, Inc. Pope Benedict XVI's message of renewal and hope for U.S. Catholics has been summarized in Witness to Christ, OSV's latest pamphlet by Erlandson.
By Msgr. William Belford
Helping New and
International Priests
A Carrier and A
Parish
You may have seen a television program this spring on PBS called ''Carrier'' -- a fascinating, intimate ten-hour examination of the life and work of the more than 5,000 men and women (average age: 19) who inhabit and serve on the United States aircraft carrier USS Nimitz . (You can order a DVD copy by going to www.pbs.org.)
As one officer said as he toured the ship, the young people who do many essential jobs on the flight line are not Einsteins. But they can and do work prodigious hours in dangerous conditions for little pay. The reason they try so hard and do so well is that they become a team, and they depend on one another to get their job done, and they do not want to let down one another or the rest of the ship. Would that every parish staff had such allegiance to each other and commitment to serve people with nearly no mistakes!
Another part of the program explains the high-pressure, no-mercy attitude that evaluates each pilot. Tough love, in-your-face criticism, daily competition to get better, sending people back to shore if they cannot make it: these are the hallmarks of the process that prepares, promotes, and in some cases washes out would-be carrier pilots. Why be so demanding? Because other people's lives, as well as their own, depend on each pilot's ability and skill.
Then this musing of a commanding officer caught my ear: When we have a nugget (a fledging pilot) who made it to sea duty but now seems to be missing the mark, should we give him or her some more training flights or send them home? It has cost almost a million dollars of training to get him or her to this point, so no one should want to give up on that person too soon.
First Assignments
With that in mind, and thinking of how little help many new priests and newly-arrived international priests receive from their diocese, pastors or neighbors, let me use this column and the next one to suggest some ways to help us all be happy and productive.
Once we are lucky enough to have a recruit, it takes many years and dollars to prepare each priest for ordination. But then we usually leave him alone to find his own way. In a new environment, subject to many teachers and temptations, we expect him to know what to value and what to do. Some men are happy and great from day one, albeit in their own minds. Others, lacking support, lacking encouragement, lacking evaluation and tough love, bounce around a lot and don't do as well.
We all know good men who have crashed and burned. So, I think we need to do more to protect our investment and help make a good priest a great one.
How? By having just one criteria for first assignments: send new priests to great pastors. And tell those pastors that they have a new number one priority and a moral responsibility: keep this newbie alive and show him the ropes so that he learns good habits and finds out why priestly work is so important and so satisfying.
New Arrivals
I wish we could be so kind to every priest arriving from another country. These men also need lots of guidance and support so that they can adapt and flourish, not just exist. I speak of the international priests who now make up a significant part of the clergy of the United States: men from Asia, Africa, Latin America, Mexico, and Europe. They can do more and better, for their satisfaction and ours, if they get more support, training and opportunity to do so.
Lord knows, we need our international priests, but sometimes we natives act as if they are unwelcome. This prejudice is shameful but not new, as readers of American church history can easily discern.
An important book for everybody to have, and a good place to begin reading on this subject, is the 2006 book entitledInternational Priests in America, by Dean Hoge and Aneiedi Okure (Liturgical Press, Collegeville, Minn., 2006, $19.95; www.litpress.org.)
In their study, they say that about 16 percent of priests in America today were born in other counties. Here is a key statement from p. 1: ''The Catholic Church in the United States has always had international priests serving in its parishes, and in most of its history depended on them. Only in one short period, from about 1940 to 1960, did Americans produce enough homegrown priests. The rest of the time foreign priests were present in great numbers, and at times dominated the church.''
We do not know what the Holy Spirit has in store for our community. But right now, here are some ideas that I have tested with international priests. I think they could help our international priests to make their ministry better and therefore help them feel at home.
A) Everyone wants to make a good start in a new place, but we need help to do that. A new co-worker will make most of his mistakes from ignorance. My fault as pastor is expecting a new priest to know the big picture and also figure out the details without my help. And even for the priest who has been in several American parishes, each new parish is different from the last. We should write things down for the newcomers, and urge them to ask how things are to be done in this place.
There is also the matter of expectation, which affects our feelings. There is a stunningly realistic quote on p. 55 in International Priests in America about how differently a pastor and a new associate can experience his first day in the parish.
B) Priests come in many styles and personalities: friendly or cold, laissez faire or controlling, happy or bitter, team player or lone ranger, etc. International priests also have styles and attitudes, defense mechanisms and worries, agendas and survival strategies. All of us have likes and dislikes, strengths and weaknesses, which we probably won't change. Better to mention them, and deal with them, than to act as if they don't exist or don't matter.
C) The happiest rectories and working places are those where communication exists, where compromise and cooperation are a way of living. Decades ago, pastors had all the power, and curates had most of the work. Now the pastor really needs assistance, and theoretically has a greater stake in making each priestly relationship a lasting and productive one. But his disappointments, poor health, or bad experiences might have lowered his ideals.
D) Every new and international priest deserves assistance and repeated answers from the time of arrival until he is confident and competent. It is onerous but useful for pastors, before the man comes, to write down details of duties, procedures, phone numbers and other advice, but that makes make life simpler.
And also, if the pastor cannot do this himself, let him delegate a kind and friendly person -- perhaps a deacon or wise parishioner - to be a mentor for the new priest, show him the neighborhood, eat with him, take him shopping for what he needs, help him move in and set up his room, and in general make sure the adjustment is not too overwhelming, lonely, or mysterious. TP
By Ronald D. Witherup, S.S.
The Year of Paul
Toward a greater appreciation of St. Paul
On June 28, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI surprised many people by announcing a special jubilee called ''The Year of Paul'' to commemorate the bi-millennium of the birth of the Apostle.
As the Holy Father noted, most scholars believe the Apostle to have been born late in the first decade of the Christian era, perhaps between A.D. 8-10. So it is appropriate to celebrate the two-thousandth anniversary of his birth in our own day. The year will run from June 28, 2008, to June 29, 2009, and ostensibly is intended to promote the study of the letters of Paul and to further ecumenical discussion.
In addition, the year will foster greater appreciation of the Word of God in a year that will also see a world synod of bishops devoted to that topic (October 2008). The purpose of the present article is to orient readers toward a greater appreciation of Paul and to provide some recommended resources for the jubilee year.
Catholic Appreciation of Paul
In my experience as a priest for more than 30 years, I have gained the impression that we Catholics don't give as much attention to Paul and his teaching as we should. Rarely is a Sunday homily ever devoted to Paul, despite the fact that many of his letters are used for the second reading every liturgical year. For understandable reasons, homilists tend to gravitate toward the Gospel and the first reading, which by design are often thematically linked.
Yet Paul's letters constitute an enormous treasure trove of insight. Thirteen out of 27 documents in the New Testament bear the Apostle's name. Moreover, his letters make up the single most important ''library'' of personal testimony from the first Christian century. No one wrote more extant letters or more personal testimony than Paul.
Another factor marks the importance of Paul from a Catholic perspective. His teachings have had a profound impact on almost elements of the faith. With few exceptions, most of the doctrinal teachings of the Church are rooted in Paul's letters. Yet few Catholics are probably aware of this far-reaching influence.
With the Year of Paul underway, we have a chance to correct this imbalance and to re-familiarize ourselves with Paul and his teachings. Priests especially, who are charged with the ministry of Word and Sacrament, would do well to resolve to bring the Apostle into focus throughout this year, for ourselves and the people we serve.
Pauline scholarship has remained a vibrant part of contemporary New Testament study. It can be difficult for scholars, let alone busy priests, to keep up with the flood of new publications, so I will try to summarize a few key points.
Authorship
One area of interest has been the question of authorship. Of the thirteen letters attributed to Paul, seven are undisputedly from Paul (Romans, 1-2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians, and Philemon). The remaining six are disputed with regard to authorship (Ephesians, Colossians, 2 Thessalonians, 1-2 Timothy, and Titus). These have become known as the Deutero-Pauline letters because many scholars have judged that, for reasons of vocabulary, style, or theology, these may have been written by a later disciple or acquaintance of Paul.
This theory of authorship retains its dominance among scholars, and it has helped clarify distinctions about what Paul may have thought or taught. But more recent research has revived the possibility that some of the Deutero-Pauline letters may originate with the Apostle himself or at the very least reflect an outgrowth of his teaching.
More importantly, homilists should recognize that this question is not particularly pertinent to the task of preaching from the letters. From a canonical perspective, all thirteen letters are in the Pauline tradition. Their content is most important, not theories of authorship. So we should not make too much of this scholarly debate but focus on more critical issues. I will point out three: theology, archaeology and sociology, and spirituality.
Theology. Many of the developments in Pauline scholarship in recent decades have focused on theological questions. This is not accidental. Paul's theology has had a profound impact on almost all theological discussions, and Protestant and Catholic scholars alike have retained a lively interest in Paul's teachings. Thus, one of Pope Benedict's goals of fostering ecumenical discussion during the Year of Paul fits neatly with current developments. Although the area of Pauline theology is vast, I have space to explore only one area of great significance, justification.
Agreement on Justification. The most obvious advance in theological dialogue between Catholics and Lutherans about Paul's theology dates back to 1999, but it has unfortunately not sifted down to the general public thoroughly. I refer to the signing of the agreement on October 31, 1999 between the Catholic Church and the Lutheran World Federation concerning our mutual understanding of an important Pauline teaching, justification by faith. The document is titled ''Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of Justification.'' This remarkable agreement, which was subsequently endorsed by the World Methodist Council in 2006, effectively dismisses centuries of caricaturing one another's teachings on justification.
Paragraph 15 contains the heart of the agreement: ''Together we confess: By grace alone, in faith in Christ's saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.'' A phenomenal passage, given the history of the debate between faith and good works that characterized traditional Catholic and Lutheran (as well as other Protestant) debates!
The document did not solve every issue between our denominations, but it put on solid footing a common understanding of an important component of Paul's theology. Through Christ, God gave the world salvation. To oversimplify a bit, Catholics have had to re-learn that we don't earn our way to heaven by good works; salvation is God's free gift. Lutherans have had to re-learn that good works play an important role in living out the faith; salvation is not merely a matter of a verbal profession of faith. Both teachings are firmly Pauline in concept.
Archaeology and Sociology. A second development concerns the influence of more recent archaeological and sociological studies of Paul's world that have made an impact on the way we read Paul's letters. Archaeological sites such as Corinth and Ephesus, to name two, which were ancient cities proselytized by Paul and his companions, have yielded rich insights into the nature of daily life in the first century.
One can visualize Paul at work in the forum (Greek agora) and preaching the Gospel message to all who would listen. Or one can also get a good sense of a ''house-church'' by examining the Roman-era villas that have been unearthed in these settings. Moreover, both archaeology and sociology have produced new insights into the nature of daily life, the diverse roles of men and women in the first century, the nature of slavery and its impact on Paul's world, and so on. Happily many of these findings have made their way into commentaries on Paul's letters or introductions to Paul (see sidebar for some recommended resources).
Spirituality. A third and final area is a renewed interest in the spiritual dimensions of Paul's letters. This topic is also quite broad and somewhat difficult to define. It is also, admittedly, related to Paul's theology. Yet one can see in many contemporary works on Paul a greater sensitivity to the spiritual dimensions in Paul's letters.
For example, his emphasis on prayer and the sacramental life of the church have received more attention, as well as a re-examination of the so-called ''Damascus Road'' experience of the risen Lord Jesus as the basis for most, if not all, of his insights into what God has accomplished in Jesus Christ. This renewed interest in spirituality dovetails nicely with Pope Benedict's desire to promote lectio divina of Scrip- ture, i.e., a prayerful reading and meditation upon the Word of God that can help renew Christian life in our day.
Conclusion
In short, the Year of Paul offers an extraordinary opportunity for Catho- lics, and other Christians, to reflect on the meaning of this premier Apostle's life, ministry and teachings. I pray that we embrace it with an infectious enthusiasm that can spread around the globe, much as the Apostle himself envisioned his worldwide mission of evangelization. TP
FATHER WITHERUP, S.S., is provincial of the U.S. Province of Sulpicians and author of, among other books, St. Paul: Called to Conversion: A Seven-Day Retreat (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 2007).
By Msgr. Dennis L. Mikulanis
Siempre Adelante
Over the past few years I have noticed a disturbing trend in any number of theological and pastoral publications that I read. This trend extends itself to popular preaching and the mindset of noted church and religious leaders as well, and not just Catholics. It seems that there is a concerted effort on the part of many to return to the old prejudices and ways of looking at one another, almost as if the past three decades have been a huge mistake and a nostalgic return to the past would cure what ails us. Let me explain.
I was ordained a priest 30 years ago, having been educated in college and the seminary in the 1970s, which was not the most peaceful, settled time. Seminary formation reflected much of the upset and discontent of society at large. One thing we were taught, however, both in college and in theology, was a greater openness to and respect for differing points of view.
That was the age of ecumenism and interreligious cooperation, something new not only for Roman Catholics but for everyone else as well. During this time it was obvious that walls were coming down and trenches that had separated Christians from one another for centuries were being bridged.
Backpedaling
Then, somehow, for some reason, Catholic attitudes began to change. Publications, speakers, religious television personalities, priests and bishops began to backpedal. Noted Catholics and new Catholic spokespersons began getting into apologetics, defending Catholic doctrine, rather than working together in a true ecumenical spirit to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ with a united voice.
The term ''heretic'' was beginning to be casually used in Catholic discourse by some of the new apologists to identify anyone who disagreed with. The results have not been encouraging.
Despite Church teaching to the contrary, from the personal example of the popes to John Paul II's encyclical on ecumenism, it seems like more of us -- Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and non-Christian -- are taking apart the bridges we've built and are using the rubble to shore up the walls of the trenches that keep us apart, if not to make guard towers and gun emplacements to keep others away!
The forward progress of mutual understanding, inspired by the Holy Spirit, has been slowed down and in some places stopped cold.
Freedom in Christ
In his letter to the Galatians, St. Paul reminds us that we were called for freedom in Christ, but that the freedom to which we are called is not for personal gain or opinion. Rather this Christ centered freedom is for service to the Church, which enables us to overcome petty prejudices and bring the human family closer together.
It appears, though, that this freedom is such a threat that many Christians would prefer the dictatorship of the status quo, all under the guise of the ''truth'' that will save us and set us free. The problem is that what is too often perceived as ''truth'' is, in fact, a wolf in sheep's clothing. This is more frightening than anything and is the ultimate stumbling block put in our way by Satan.
After all, if the evil one can keep Christians divided, so remains Christ, and so much better for evil to triumph. Paul warns the Galatians, however: ''Do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh,'' i.e., forcing what we want to see rather than what we must do, because ''... if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another.''
Paul was only following the example of Jesus. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus has to pull back and rebuke His disciples who want to reject or destroy those who disagree with them for any reason whatever. He reminds His disciples that He doesn't need anyone to defend Him, He needs them to tell others of God's love for them.
Let Go of 'Comfortable'
Because others are different or don't believe as they do is no reason to hate and destroy. Instead, they should let their personal example be the witness and strength of their discipleship. All Jesus expected of His disciples was that they listen to Him, learn from Him and obey Him to ''follow me (Lk 9:59).'' What he expected from His disciples was to let go of what made them comfortable and embrace God's will in their lives to make Him known and bring everyone to faith in Him and the truth.
How is this done? It is not done by returning to practices and ways of times long past because they appeared to be more comfortable. For one thing, once that return was made, problems and difficulties appropriate to that time would quickly be recognized. Following Jesus is not done by tearing down the bridges built by ecumenical and interreligious dialogue and replacing them with walls of prejudice and intolerance.
To follow Christ means to take Him at His word and have faith that He knows what He's doing, listening and adhering to what the Church actually teaches rather than what we think it teaches, and bringing people together in peace so that, ultimately, all can find and embrace the truth. How is this done? Who knows? Let us allow the Holy Spirit some room to work here; let's just be sure we don't get in the way.
Father Junipero Serra, the Apostle of California, set out from Mexico City in 1769 to found a series of missions in California. When he arrived at what is now San Diego, he and those with him were undernourished and ill. The scheduled supply ships were nowhere to be seen, and they were critically low on supplies and ready to admit the impossibility of the task before them and go back.
However, that was not the manner of Father Serra. His motto was siempre adelante, ''always go forward.'' His courage and, most importantly, his faith kept him on task for Christ and led to the establishing of the 20 missions which dot the California coast. He was committed to Christ and the mission of the Church, no matter how personally unpleasant or difficult.
If we set forward on the journey with Christ, we had better be committed! If we hope to be considered true disciples of Jesus Christ, there can be no rejection of the ecumenical mandate of the Church or refusal to engage in meaningful dialogue with people of other faiths. Christ has made it clear. The Church has been straightforward. ''No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the Kingdom of God (Lk 9:62).'' Siempre Adelante! TP
MSGR. MIKULANIS is vicar for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs for the Diocese of San Diego.
By Msgr. Dennis L. Mikulanis
Ecumenism in Ashes
House-consuming wildfires of Southern California bring religions together
In the early hours of the morning on Monday, Oct. 22, 2007, telephones across the northern parts of San Diego County began to ring. Some of the calls came from neighbors but most came from an automatic ''reverse 911'' system by which the local authorities could warn citizens that a disaster was at hand and they needed to evacuate the area.
The day before, wildfires had started in the rural, eastern areas of San Diego County and were driven by the dry Santa Ana winds which were gusting up to 65 - 70 miles per hour. The Santa Ana condition is a regular weather pattern in Southern California and anyone who has lived there for any length of time knows the trouble it can cause.
This time the trouble was more serious than expected. The winds drove the flames from the nascent fire farther and faster than anyone thought possible and consumed homes and businesses all along its path with no regard for anything. To see homes destroyed by wildfires in the remote back country, far from towns or even other neighbors, is not unexpected, but this fire was different.
Dodging Flaming Debris
Throughout Sunday night and into Monday morning the hurricane force winds drove a firestorm that eventually destroyed several hundred thousand acres, almost two thousand homes and took several lives. What was most shocking was the speed with which the flames traveled throughout the county, eventually reaching almost to the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
The whole foothill town of Ramona, with a population of 40,000 souls, was the first to be evacuated Sunday night, and by Tuesday morning approximately 640,000 residents of San Diego County had been evacuated from their neighborhoods. There are numerous stories of people escaping their homes with only the clothes on their backs as the flames sped toward them, or how evacuees drove through clogged streets dodging flaming debris flying through the air, watching houses explode into flame behind them as they drove away.
Most people found family members or friends to go to during the evacuation, but tens of thousands ended up at evacuation centers established in public facilities or at Qualcomm Stadium, San Diego's football stadium. While at the centers the evacuees were fed, cared for, entertained, counseled and even had their pets cared for.
Clergy of many different communities were on hand to counsel and pray with those who requested it. It made no difference to what church or religion a person belonged; if a person wanted a word of quiet prayer to calm frazzled nerves, the prayer was offered and God's soothing balm was present.
When the danger from the fires had passed and people were finally allowed back into their neighborhoods, the sights that greeted many of them were heartbreaking. Huge sections of streets were left in ruins, nothing more than piles of ash and rubble. It's amazing how a two-story house can be reduced to an 18-inch pile of debris in a matter of minutes!
Didn't Make Sense
Inexplicably, only one house on a street would be burned and none of the others touched, or every surrounding house would be destroyed and only one left standing without so much as a scorch mark. It didn't make any sense. The grief was overwhelming for some, but could have been worse had it not been for the reaction of the community.
Practically before the smoldering embers were extinguished, hundreds of volunteers showed up, ready to pitch in and get to work to help clear rubble, sift through ash and look for surviving family treasures. The heat was so intense that not much was left of anything, but, occasionally, something would emerge from the destruction that had survived.
Baptists worked alongside Catholics who worked alongside Methodists who worked alongside Presbyterians who worked alongside New Song Church members who worked alongside Lutherans who worked alongside the Salvation Army. Buddhists and Mormons joined their Christian friends in the relief effort with labor, money and other assistance. It made no difference what a person's religion was.
A group of ''sifters'' would arrive on a street, go up to what was once a cherished home and ask the stunned owner: ''Need any help?'' Given the OK by a sometimes barely perceptible nod, the group would wade in and get to work.
There were no denominational differences or doctrinal disagreements. Those things had nothing to do with the way people came together, worked together, banded as one together to face the challenge and meet the need. As a result, many religious prejudices came tumbling down and Christians saw one another for what they are: brothers and sisters in the Lord.
When the local Baptist Church couldn't use its facilities for a large funeral because of fire damage, the local Catholic Church opened its doors and said ''Use ours. The church and the hall for the reception are yours,'' with the offer to share facilities as much as possible for as long as needed. A new ministerial alliance was formed to step into the void of the old one that had ceased to exist some time ago, and its first act was to organize an ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve service for the community.
Only a few days after the fires, more than 250 leaders of various Christian groups -- from Fundamentalist and Evangelical to Mainline Protestant and Catholic -- gathered together to organize their relief efforts so that they would be working together instead of against one another.
Apathy Toward Ecumenism
Introductions, handshakes and hugs, buoyed by common prayer, helped to cement the Body of Christ in the effort. The Department of Homeland Security chief sent to San Diego commented on how well organized and efficient the ''Faith-Based Community'' was, so much so that it was being considered as a national model for future disaster relief efforts.
In an age where so many Christians appear apathetic toward ecumenism and even bent on fortifying walls to protect their denomination from outside contamination, it takes something like a destructive wildfire to help us Christians understand who we really are.
That differences exist is undeniable. That some wish ecumenism would just ''go away'' so we could rest content in lap of nostalgia is evident. That such an attitude is not what Christ intended or wants is obvious.
In many places formal ecumenical efforts might be on the wane or even nonexistent. In some places it truly is a case of ecumenism in ashes. However, when pushed by forces beyond human control, Christians can, will and do come together to bring the healing touch of the Divine Physician to a hurting world.
Ecumenism in ashes sounds discouraging, but it need not be because, like so many people whose homes were destroyed by the fires, we can respond in one of two ways: we can stand idly by, weeping and shaking our heads, bemoaning the loss of what we had, then turn around and walk away, or, we can mourn our loss, take a deep breath, accept the help that comes along, move into the rubble resolved to clear it away and, like the phoenix, rebuild anew. TP
Msgr. Dennis Mikulanis, Vicar for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs of the Diocese of San Diego, is also Pastor of San Rafael Parish in Rancho Bernardo, a neighborhood in San Diego, that lost close to 400 homes, 62 of them belonging to parishioners, in the recent wildfires that swept through the county.
Care for Yourself, Care for Your People
Coat of Paint
By Msgr. William Belford
One of the easiest ways to show your people that you are doing your job as steward of the parish property is to paint it regularly and keep it looking good. As pastor I painted some classrooms and all the school corridors every summer in a changing palate of colors so that every returning teacher, and most parents and students, sensed a difference and felt that things were spruced up and prepared for them.
Painting the school is one thing; painting the church is a bigger project, done less often, and with the colors less subject to change. But what about the church doors, or the bathrooms, sacristy, hallways, meeting rooms, kitchen: they could use a new coat of paint every few years. Then they look better, and you look better too. Parishioners notice dirt and grime; they are glad if their pastor keeps noticing what is shabby and fixing broken items and freshening the property with color.
One problem for men in long pastorates is that some stop seeing how run down their buildings are. Or they only think about saving money. I believe that if you spend parish money appropriately, directly benefiting the people, they will give more. Rarely if ever have I heard criticism of a pastor for having a sparklingly clean church. Spend money on what people see, and they will like your stewardship better than if you have a big bank account and broken sidewalks.
Personal Polish
Just as a coat of paint is ordinary and essential for public spaces, a priest's living quarters and the parish offices need and deserve upkeep too. Is the reception area in your rectory bright and hospitable and comfortable for guests? Are your rooms fit to be seen, able to be navigated, recently painted and refreshed? Perhaps we are skimping there too, with no one to question us, or nag us to improve our surroundings, with bad results.
This is not a matter of virtue. It comes more from neglect of good living habits. I see examples and hear stories that convince me that too many of us are living dangerously and unhealthily in spaces that resemble hovels with holes in the wall, or Collier's mansions stacked with papers and boxes that are a fire hazard and a sign of mental illness.
When you buy too much, or refuse to throw anything out, you are not living a priestly lifestyle. You should maintain your living quarters in a respectable way for your parish's sake, and employ people as needed to do so. Remember that many colleges have maid service for the students -- not to cater to them, but to avoid public criticism of the college's appearance and to keep their buildings from being destroyed and falling apart.
Suitable Environment
I remember reading a book on preaching by Father Walter Burkhart, S.J., in which he recommended creating a beautiful environment for yourself before starting to work on a homily. Order, comfort, music, rest: these are the seed ground of good ideas and good homilies. Inspirations come more easily when surrounded by beauty. But if you are constantly shivering, or sweating, or interrupted, or taking care of trivia -- what chance do you have to let the Word speak to your heart? And what predisposition and attitude toward life comes out of your mouth?
You pastors affect others, clergy and laity and staff members, whether you intend it or not. Your refusal to hire a plumber to fix the boiler may lead to an explosion, or weeks of no heat; your neglect to replace a torn carpet may cause a fall and a lawsuit. Your commitment to turn down the heat may leave an elderly priest or a priest born in a warmer country chilled all winter. Sacrificing by not having a cook might save money but mean poor nutrition now -- and obesity, diabetes, and other illnesses later.
A personnel director told me of visiting a rectory where the pastor was an alcoholic and quite careless of the rights of others. Good with most people, he was clueless about the miserable living conditions he made the other clergy and staff endure. The secretary didn't even have a computer to use; it was still in boxes, stacked on the dining room table, crowned by a salad bowl to catch the water leaking onto the table. As a chancellor, I now see the enormous bills to fix roofs and walls and floors, when regular attention and small repairs would have prevented the major collapses that follow neglect.
Personal Comfort
With longer pastorates and/or fewer moves, it may be that you are living with the same chairs, lamps, mattress, etc., that you started with years ago. There have been improvements that can help you function better, especially in lighting. You are not being extravagant if you buy some new furniture or replace the carpet or have the rooms painted while you go on vacation.
We have all seen the alternative: the old man changes nothing and shoos away the maid. When he leaves, one way or another, everybody takes a look at his room and agrees: get a dumpster and throw everything out! That is not a good way for you to live, or for the newcomer to begin. If you update the rectory periodically -- with the help of people with good taste -- you are doing yourself and your successors a reasonable favor.
Final Thought
Everybody knows the old trick about leaving necessary repairs or changes for the next guy. But that is unfair. To some degree, the people know and love their present pastor, and they will trust your leadership. So don't be a lame duck; use up some of that credit you have with your people to do now what needs to be done. Otherwise the new priest might have to look like a selfish spendthrift, just fixing the mess you left behind. Give good example to your church, give your successor a gift, and get things in order before you leave. So much the better if you get to enjoy the results for awhile too.
Give Early Help
Dr. Carol Farthing of St. Luke's Institute in Silver Spring, Md., has written an ''Open Letter to Seminary Formators'' in the Sept./Oct. 2007 issue of Lukenotes.
She focuses on her increasing experience with new priests having trouble adjusting in their first or second years of ministry: ''The 'making of a priest' requires an enormous investment of spirit, time and money on the part of the diocese or religious order as well as the candidate. When serious problems emerge soon after ordination, the situation is deeply disappointing and painful for all concerned.''
Her letter is just one page long, and distinguishes three categories of concern: underdevelopment in human formation, mild to moderate psychiatric problems or personality issues, and severe problems so deep that there is little hope for growth.
Her three recommendations to formators and seminary personnel are these:
- Pay attention to ''gut'' feelings and see if other reliable people are worried too. Act then; don't wait for a clinical diagnosis years later.
- Pay special attention to difficulty with feedback. If a candidate can't accept or profit from feedback, his growth is stunted.
- Take action early. Dealing with problems is harder, not easier, after ordination. TP
