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Witnessing to God’s purpose
Being
a Catholic Christian is a challenge most days. On bad days, it can be literally
excruciating, a particularly appropriate word (from late 16th-century Latin
excruciat,
“tormented,” from the verb excruciare, based on crux,
cruc-, “cross”). As leaders, people often point to us and demand to
know how we can continue to work in a church whose worship style can often
be stale and meaningless, whose treatment of women is patronizing, and
whose dishonesty of late is legendary. We can’t even dispute the charges.
I recently attended a funeral that may have been the worst liturgy I’ve
ever seen. Symbols were either missing or empty (no pall, no water, and
an 8-inch paschal candle). The word was not proclaimed; it was muttered,
seemingly with one breath from the beginning of the first reading straight
through to the end of the Gospel. And on it went. As for the church’s disregard
for the contributions of women or, really, anyone not ordained, examples
of that abound. Some of the most gifted preachers, whose words passionately
illuminate the word, are silent, as the pulpit remains off-limits to them.
The disregard for the welfare of the people, particularly children, entrusted
to their care by so many bishops is stunning. That as a body, even now,
there is no contrition for widespread abuse is beyond understanding. Despite
all of this, we labor on because the church is greater than all of this.
There are many good clergy and religious, many good lay ministers, and
a wonderfully diverse population of good people who embrace the faith.
We authentically witness to God’s purpose simply because that is what God
calls us to do. In these difficult times, compassion and passion for worship
are critical. Leading others to deepen their faith and understanding of
worship is an essential task.
In
this issue of ML, we explore some of the critical dimensions of community
faith formation. Leisa Anslinger outlines ways to build true collaboration
in ministry in order to put the gifts of all to their best use. This requires
learning to build common vision, mutual understanding, and respect for
individual roles. Forming a community in this way builds cohesion across
ministries as well as generations and breaks down the walls of selfishness
and territorial behavior. Scott Rutan describes a method of ongoing
faith formation for adults that combines a modification of the rites of
the catechumenate with the creation story. The result is a flexible process
of discerning the needs and potential of a faith community. David Bristow
presents a perspective on Catholic youth and the ways in which adolescents
come to experience their faith. Suggesting that most of their formation
is either verbal or “over-the-top” visual, he recommends that in order
for it to be incorporated, they must experience it with all their senses.
Participating in this way, they are then able to have an understanding
of what faith is, understand it, and make value choices about it. Kathleen
Brown and David Orr share a reflection on spiritual friendship
in the second of a three-part series on the topic. Spiritual formation
is an area too often neglected in the “business” side of ministry. Deliberately
engaging in methods intended to foster deepening spirituality is essential,
not something that should be at the bottom of our personal “to-do” lists
nor the list of priorities for the people we serve. Spiritual friendship
is a true gift, and time devoted to the care of such relationships is time
well spent. In those moments, the Spirit burns most brightly.
With
the confidence of that Spirit, we continue to minister in a church sometimes
plagued with darkness, because to walk away would be to abandon God’s people
to that darkness. We remain because Christ compels us to be a presence
of integrity and people of vision so that hope may not be lost and faith
may be sustained. We do the work of the church so that with each new day
hearts may be healed and the good news may be heard. We find ways around
the roadblocks, we find courage despite disregard, and we find in each
other support and consolation. We encounter the living God among us and,
thus empowered, we continue the journey, one deliberate step at a time.
Help
us witness to your purpose
with
renewed integrity;
with
the Spirit’s gifts empower us
for
the work of ministry. ML
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