ON THE COVER:
Traditional-style cross
at Sacred Heart Armenian Catholic Church, Little Falls, N.J. |
From
Inside
ML: Who do we say we are? How we answer that question says a lot about
how we perceive the world around us and our relationship in community.
How we recognize the Christ living in us and manifest in others is based
on this. The way we understand creation and our place in it depends on
this. Asking the question “What is church?” is something we should do more
often, and as something more than an academic exercise. Right now this
question is of critical importance as we see different ways of worship,
different models of community life, and different languages causing conflict
to the very breaking point of the church. A sort of spiritual violence
erupts and suddenly foundations no longer seem so firm. The late Cardinal
Avery Dulles, SJ, spoke wisely of this, in words that might have been spoken
today, “When paradigms shift, people suddenly find the ground cut out from
under their feet. They cannot begin to speak the new language without already
committing themselves to a whole new set of values that may not be to their
taste. Thus they find themselves gravely threatened in their spiritual
security” (Models of the Church, Exp Rei ed. [New York: Image, 1991],
31). (More) |
