SHAPING THE IDEAL CHURCH

I recently read that about 17% of the world's population is Catholic. About 70% of the world's Catholics dwell in the southern half of the globe. The Catholic experience is embodied in every culture and on every continent. Catholicism is no longer Euroamerican or Eurowestern. It is truly global, universal, and catholic.

The decision to become universal happened very early in Christianity. The Jesus movement shed sectarian skin and the gospel basked both Jewish and Gentile sunshine. As the tradition of the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles indicates, the good news of Jesus Christ extended to the four ends of the earth. "The new Testament witnesses that from its first generations the church understood its membership to be open to all who wanted to join. Catholicity is the effect of this understanding (Denise Lardner Carmody The Ideal Church: A Meditation, p.26)."

Christians were called Catholics for the first time in Antioch. Soon this dynamic faith attracted heartfelt, human allegiances in Europe, then in the lands colonized by European powers, and now globally in the new churches of the world. A ubiquitous question keeps surfacing. How does Catholicism build bridges between Jewish, Greek, and European roots and the religious genius of newly born churches? "The main thing to secure is the thing of the church to adapt its formulations to changing historical and cultural situations. Catholicity is a good peg on which to hang this right (p.27)."

Carmody then asks:"How ought the church to engage in this process? By trial and error, with full dialogue (p.28)." I can state the delicate task simply. How does the church remain true to a revered tradition and a rich heritage and still embody Catholicism in the cultural sands of new shores? (This leads to the $64 question of the next Century. How does Catholicism converse, critique, and be comfortable with the other great religions of the world?)

The task of connecting Catholic roots with current cultures is not just a job for authority or scholars. This mission is always in the hands of ordinary people. "Catholicity Therefore implies trusting local Christians to discern the implications of their faith responsibly,...to communicate accurately what the fundamentals mean in Guatemala in contrast to Berlin. The basis for this trust is the presence of all believers of the Spirit of Christ, who alone can guarantee orthodoxy...Each Christian is competent to say what faith means to her or his life(p.28-29)."

What has all this to do with us at Saint Malachy? Three things: hospitality to newcomers, friendship with once estranged kin, and humanistic learning.

HOSPITALITY. Catholicity means here comes everybody. How do we welcome new people into this experience of church and worship? How do we create hospitable spaces for diverse cultural, racial, and gender voices and speech?

FRIENDSHIP. Catholicity means connection with Protestant and Orthodox Christians because we hold to one faith and one baptism, one triune God and one Lord Jesus Christ. We aspire to one table someday soon. How do we view other Christians as individuals and churches? Are they embraced family friend or excluded foe?

HUMANISM. Catholicity does not applaud ignorance, religious illiteracy, or narrow minds. Catholicity loves learning, cultivates wisdom, encourages thinking. How do we keep learning the faith?