Wednesday 7 January 2009

Recognition (2)

‘The Apostles themselves, on whom the Church was founded, following in the footsteps of Christ, "preached the word of truth and begot churches." It is the duty of their successors to make this task endure so that the word of God may run and be glorified (2 Thessalonians 3:1) and the kingdom of God be proclaimed and established throughout the world.’ (Ad Gentes. Preface.)

The above is from the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on the Mission Activity of the Church, with its relevance to the spreading of the Gospel to all peoples on Earth, but would it not be wonderful enough today if our focus, our faith, our openness to the guidance of the Holy Spirit and our discernment were such that this could be applied to our own words and deeds in our own lands? In our own cities and parishes? Indeed, how can this be relied upon to happen in the wider world unless it is already happening on our doorsteps? And how can it become a reality here without it having first grown and blossomed within ourselves?
The quoted words of Saint Augustine make it sound so simple and so easy to achieve; they "preached the word of truth and begot churches." Today we have a world of different churches and denominations all begotten through the preaching, decisions and actions of men. Some are vibrant and growing, while others have their traditional church buildings with slowly decreasing numbers; some with enough of a community to still be regarded as a church, but what of those which do little more than echo to the sound of infrequent footsteps and shrink still further into their partially mummified rules, routines and spiritual outlook?


‘It is the duty of their successors to make this task endure’. It would be easy to accept that this duty has been passed on in its entirety to our bishops, and through them onto our priests, but the Church is changing, and, to some degree at least, our place within it has already changed. As lay members of the Church we should no longer be passively watching and listening to our priests while making no real effort to further our own advance or contribute to the spiritual health and vigour of the people around us.

It is our responsibility to share in the Holy Spirit’s work ‘to make this task endure’.
Can we really believe that, with the shortage of vocations to the priesthood, the laity is being asked to sit to one side twiddling thumbs or drumming fingers with a ‘Well, don’t look at me’, attitude? We must take our place as and when the Spirit calls us and guides us; without us Christ’s Church will not reveal ‘a vitality continuously renewed.'

It has been said before, but it needs to be repeated – and not just repeated, but acted upon – Jesus wants His Church back.
There are many ways in which we can work towards returning it into His hands, but they all derive from the one certain way the Church has for ensuring that it conforms to His will: being open to, listening, hearing, discerning and acting upon the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Much has happened during and since Vatican II, and the involvement of the laity that is essential to the life and the reality of Christ’s Church has been acknowledged and declared to be our duty. But to become involved to the extent to which I believe the Holy Spirit is leading us requires us to be bolder than many of us have been thus far.

Some of our priests are leading us and encouraging us toward this involvement in ways that speak loudly of their openness to the Spirit of God and their clarity of vision, while others are perhaps as unsure of the future as we are ourselves. In itself this does no harm, providing as it does, a less vigorous but no less fertile basis for growth in which priest and congregation can move forward together, growing into a more meaningful community in the process.
In the few places where harm is done, those who resist any meaningful lay involvement will eventually crumble, leaving little in the way of sound stones for repair work and future building. Until their time comes for being returned to dust, the less opportunity these men have for influencing younger priests and those considering a life within the Church, the better.
The ‘ What can I hand over?’ attitude is a declaration of control and takes little account of the gifts or the potential of the individual lay persons; and saying that ‘they will learn the delicate art of working together’ excludes the idea of the priest learning to work alongside the laity. It implies that all priests already have both this skill and the desire to use it. Both ways of thinking can be expressions of a determination to maintain the status quo, and, worryingly, both are taken from a talk on ‘The Parish’ given by a member of the clergy at an Archdiocese Study Day for Priests and Deacons within the last five years.
If there is a limiting factor in the involvement of the laity, we should expect it to be our own hesitation and reluctance to shoulder our share of the ministry, not the clergy’s unwillingness to share it with us.

‘Ministry is for all and those who are ordained have a special role and function. However, their ministry is validated and truly productive if they are affirmed and respected by those to whom and with whom they minister. Clergy ... only have a function within a local community that recognises their ministry and gifts and is willing to share that ministry with them. ... Whether we have a high or low view of ordination, the body of Christ gives to all who are members an identity, a calling and gifts to offer for the good of all.’

(Alan Abernethy. Fulfilment and Frustration.)


About Me

Who I am should be, and should remain, of little consequence to you. Who you are is what matters; who you are meant to be is what should matter most to you. In coming closer to my own true self, I have gradually been filled with the near inexpressible: I have simply become "brim full", and my words to you are drawn from those uttered within myself, as part of an undeniable overflowing that brings a smile to my every dusk, and to my every new dawn.
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