Models of the Church for Ministry

        I was burdened by the lengthy presentations of the models of the Church. My impression is that the historical models of the Catholic Church reflected the perspective of its hierarchy who pushed and shaped its clergy and lay members to conform to its level of comfort, physical and emotional, in serving and living among its active members. The increasingly educated and readily available means of information in society calls the Church to be frank and honest in its positions with its members and the world at large. I believe the models of the Church reflect its relationship with its members as its members become more involved in its operations.

        

         The dilemma remains to reach and include those who are alienated, whether self-imposed, imposed by fellow lay members, or imposed by the Catholic Church. Do all Christian believers believe they are called to be disciples and part of the community of the disciples as Avery Dulles claims in his “enlarged” notion of “post-Easter community of disciples” (“The Church: Community of Discipleship,” 202)? What does the Church want of believers who are not faithful? I know, repent and return. For the divorced and remarried, return to what? How can the healing and unifying Eucharistic Liturgy be required of its members and exclude those not in good standing? Who enters any liturgy in good standing? None of us “measure up” (205); the wonder is that God offers to reconcile all of us poor and needy folks. And, yes, I recognize that the cloak of discipleship entails commitment and dedication to an external and internal life of worship and discipleship while living in a world not affiliated with the Church community (206, 209-10). The Church’s outreach to those who fall short in the discipleship category remains a challenge for the community and for me. It is easy to commune with those who want to belong; it is harder to commune with those who believe they are not included.

         I participate in different liturgies in several parishes and faiths around New Orleans, but principally worship in a small faith community, St. Ignatius Chapel, on Loyola’s campus, that has called me to participate as a Eucharistic minister, bread baker, and liturgical artist. In this latter discipleship I have collaborated with another artist and shared with the Loyola community my love of images, symbols, color and design to communicate the Liturgy of the Word in a series of liturgical season quilted art cloths. As Adrian Kellard, an American artist known for his woodcuts and sculptures of religious imagery, said, “…some hear the Word better with their eyes…”

         Now, in my last semester of LIM, I am beginning a sewing class with a small group of older citizens at Mercy Endeavors, a program in the Irish Channel that encourages living a full life with independence, self respect and social engagement, education and recreation. I hope to welcome the students into a blessed community that celebrates creativity and play and curiosity. I view my role as servant and nurturer of the wisdom of the elders in my community; I will be teacher and taught.

What is church (ekklesia)?

There was a lot of information to sort through in the readings this week.  It was no surprise to me that my emotions were affected by the beautiful scripture readings with the many references to Jesus and the building of what we have come to think of as church (ekklesia).  In his book, “Towards a Truly Catholic Church” Thomas Rausch points out that “The New Testament gives us first, the word for church, ekklesia” (46) which “can mean the local congregation or church as well as church in a universal sense” (47).  I was particularly drawn to his description of the mission of the church as “that of Christ, to reveal God’s love through Word and sacrament and to be itself a sacrament or instrument of the communion of all people with God and with one another” (46).  At this point on my spiritual journey, this description rings true for me.  In retrospect, I can see how my own vision of “church” has changed as I have grown-up, both literally and spiritually. 

In the 50’s and 60’s the church was to me as Dulles describes in his “Models of the Church” church as Institution, “the view that defines the church primarily in terms of its visible structures, especially the rites and powers of its officers” (30).  When I reflect prayerfully, I can see how over the years, the work of the Holy Spirit has moved in both the church and in me to broaden this vision of ekklesia. 

Today, when I think of “church” I perceive it as “Paul’s most powerful metaphor for church” (Rausch 57) “the Body of Christ.”  My view encircles all elements of what church has become for me - the tradition and guidance of the institution, the faith sharing and love of the community, the role of steward and servant that comes out of discipleship, the graces that flow from the sacraments, and the mission to continue growing in love as I carry the gospel message of Christ into the world.

LumenGentium describes Christ as “the head of the body which is the church.”  “He continually distributes in His body, that is, in the Church, gifts of ministries in which, by His own power, we serve each other unto salvation so that, carrying out the truth in love, we might through all things grow unto Him who is our Head”.

As I minister to others in the context of spiritual direction, it becomes obvious to me that people can often be stuck in a certain vision (or model) of what the church is for them or what the church should be.  Spiritual direction can help them to cultivate an expanded view of “church” which encompasses the strengths of all Dulles “Models”.

Photo credit:  conciliaria.com

What is Church?

Avery Dulles, presents 5 Models of the Church in this week’s readings.  As I read through them I couldn’t help but feel like Goldilocks searching for the one that was "just right".  In thinking about this, I realized that I have encountered many of these models in my faith formation.

I was born as Vatican II was being written so my spiritual formation came in the duality of the pre and post Vatican II doctrine.  My aunt, a devout Catholic who helped raised me, would probably feel most comfortable with The Institutional Model of Church.  She believed without question what church leaders taught and would never question the authority of the male clergy. I did learn the importance of God and going to mass from her even though I found that model to be a bit oppressive. 

In junior high school I was introduced to the Model of Church as a Mystical Communion,or as  LumenGentium reaffirms, the Body of Christ. Dulles  describes the Church structure as “an instrument serving Christ’s Spirit, who vivifies it in the building up his Body". (48) Vivify - to give life to, animate, to enliven  That is exactly how I would describe my experience, thanks in part to the Teresian Sisters who taught me. They introduced me to liturgical dance, they enlivened me in the spirit of God’s love, they welcomed me into the Body of Christ and made it real for me.  I felt part of the church as Yves Congar described it, “a fellowship of men with God and with one another in Christ”. This feeling sustained me for years, yet I wanted more. 

In college I was part of the Awakening Community.  At this point I more fully experienced Church as Sacrament. Community and fellowship continued to be important to me but attending mass and becoming a Eucharistic Minister had renewed importance.    “The Church, then, is the place where it appears most clearly that the love that reconciles men to God and to one another is a participation in what God communicates most fully in Christ”.  (66) 

Having experienced 3 models of church each of which added to my faith formation, perhaps its not a question of choosing one over the other but learning from each of them and integrating the positive points.   

In reflecting on my experience of  Church it seems to me that a sound model would encompass a living church , a People of God rooted in tradition, led by sound doctrine and the Word, able to speak to today’s generation and able to tend to God’s people through service.  If we are all a part of the church, do we help shape it through our individual gifts?  How do we help shape the Church today?

Through Spiritual Direction, I have begun to explore some of these same aspects in my life. How do I balance fellowship,  prayer, worship, sacraments, theology and service? I am learning what my gifts are and how God is calling them out (Ekklesia) in service to Him and His Church.  In pursuing an internship in spiritual direction I hope to help others find their own balance of communion, sacrament, worship and prayer and to hear  and answer God’s call.   

Church, Sacraments and Liturgy, 1-13-2015

Church, Sacraments and Liturgy

January 13, 2015

            I did not know that the Liturgy of the Hours is a public prayer of the Church, along with the Mass (Sockey, 11). I thought it a private prayer and am intrigued and pleased to learn about its practice that unites with others around the world (Sockey, viii). The Liturgy opens up the rest of the Bible in an organized format that invites the celebration and reflection of each day/evening.  In keeping the focus on “the praises of God” (Sacrosanctum Concillium, ch. 4, “The Divine Office,”¶ 84), it turns or “returns” our attention to the holiness of every moment. It underscores Julian of Norwich’s “All is well.” Its form complements our human activities throughout the day/evening with nature’s flow from sunrise to sunset to moonrise. While recognizing the already busy-ness of each day, I look forward to incorporating it into my daily life.

            Vondey, People of Bread: “companion” = sharing bread together (42). What a beautiful image of bread as God “providing his companionship” to the Israelites and then, to all (45). “Companionship” nourishes both body and soul (44), thus making bread the “unmistakable symbol of the social nature of the people of God” (44).

            As a Eucharistic bread baker for my worship community, I am aware of the special blessing conferred on me in participating in this ministry. While I do not always succeed, I try to honor God and my community in attending to the Eucharistic bread preparation and baking when I am rested, gracious and grateful. I plan to add a baking prayer to my preparation “that recognizes God as ‘the nourisher and the Father of all’ (Vondey 46). My small role in the sharing of God’s companionship lets me extend and participate in God’s hospitality to a small part of the world (Vondey 101-02).

Hospitality, the work of the Church

I have had much to chew on over the past week or so as I've nibbled my through the first half of Wolfgang Vondey's People of Bread: rediscovering ecclesiology.  Drawing upon Jewish and Christian Scriptures, he sets forth a thought-model of Church rooted in the biblical images of God's relationship with God's people as mediated through bread.  Most crusty in the first three chapters, has been the section dealing with hospitality (Vondey 70-105).  The moral character of God's People, Israel in the case of Genesis and Exodus, hinges on their faithfulness in extending hospitality to strangers.  Hospitality sets Abraham and Lot apart, particularly from Lot's neighbors in Sodom.  The Sodomites are described as satisfied and self-sufficient (full of bread), yet they act with extreme inhospitable hostility to strangers (Gen 19:5).  For his part, Abraham minimizes the feast he offers, central to which are bread-cakes made by Sarah from over 90 cups of flour, yet he recognizes that by welcoming the stranger he may well be entertaining angels (Gen 18).  Citing Jeffery Geohagan, he underlines the parallels between this Gen 18-19 with the Passover narrative in Exodus.  The takeaway being that "the imitation and emulation of God's actions stands at the root of the biblical concept of hospitality" (Vondey 96).

My association with the Catholic Worker movement has taught me to see hospitality as a form of resistance.  Welcoming the stranger can be a bit counter-cultural.  Particularly in the case of someone who is homeless, undocumented, transgendered, or Republican, depending on your circles, to welcome her extravagantly to a family gathering might ruffle some feathers.  It is even better to see hospitality as Vondey describes it, inspired by the "vision to live in a world without strangers" (99).  In a world governed by laws and mores that discourage social mixing, hospitality frees both host and guest as they are elevated through shared bread to companionship with each other and with God (103). 

In my ministry, I am often feel the pressure of not having enough resources to go around or time to spend getting to know those with whom I work on a deeper level.  If I can give them a fraction of what they need, they often go away grateful, but unfilled.  What would it look like to meet not only John Chrysostom's minimal standard of hospitality (civility, attention, and restraint), but to go beyond this and to remove the shame of being in need of hospitality through attentive service and a demonstration of word and deed that to receive a guest is to receive (not bestow) a favor (*Vondey 86,100)? What attitude toward my own time must I adopt?  How can I dispose of the goods that have been entrusted to me for others' benefit in an equitable, yet generous, way?  How much energy ought I devote to increasing the resources available in general as opposed to rationing what I already I know I have? 

*John Chrysostom, Homilies on Genesis 41.26 (in French) and Homily 14


Photo Credit: http://stnickporticons.com/hospitality.html

Prayer and Reflection

This semester it was very helpful to me to have time set aside each day for daily prayer and reflection. The prayer book I used was “Sacred Space 2013” by the Irish Jesuits. It was very helpful to me to reflect on the daily readings because the book gives guided questions and reflection topics for each daily reading. I often found myself more in tune with my day because many of the reflections involved how I respond to others in my daily life; in times of stress, sadness, joy, or pain. I was able to be more mindful of the ways I interacted with others because of my prayer.

I also became more involved with other forms of prayer throughout the semester after my husband and I found that we were expecting a child. I had a very rough time keeping food down or getting out of bed. Most of my time was spent in bed trying to stay as still as I could to get through the day. It was a time where I tried to remember each day the importance of prayer. I found myself reflecting often on a painting I have in my room of the visitation. It is a beautiful painting that my family got when we lived in Hungary of Mary and Elizabeth. My parents were in love with the painting and bought hundreds of prints so that they could frame them and give them as gifts. It was not until I became pregnant that I realized the power and simplicity of this painting, and that I had a woman in Mary that I could go to in prayer in times of fear, discomfort, and anxiety. I was also reminded during this time of the importance of the prayers of those who have gone before us. I found myself praying for my Dad to intercede on my behalf, it was very comforting to know that he was someone I could reach out to in prayer during this time. I also found myself being very grateful for the opportunity to have a baby and praying for other women who have difficulties in pregnancy or who are unable to have children. I found that prayer during this time was a very uniting force and caused me to move beyond myself in a time when it was very easy to get lost in my own struggles. The power of prayer was very evident to me during this time. I also found my husband and I growing closer in prayer. We would sometimes join together in praying the readings and meditations from “Sacred Space” and we would often just stop in the evening to pray for our child and other needs of our community and world.