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Daily Scripture

+ 7th Week of Easter

Much ado about nothing or, is there something to it?

Readings: Acts 19:1-8 Psalm 68:2-7 John 16:29-33

Paul traveled through the interior of the country and down to Ephesus where he found some disciples. He said to them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you became believers?” They answered him, “We have never even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” [Acts 19:1-3]

Depending on one’s sacramental theology and pastoral practice, this text has been variously interpreted. For example, those who work with the RCIA (catecheumenate) hold that the sacrament of Confirmation should be administered with Baptism as it was in the early Church. It is one of the sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation and Eucharist. The Eastern Rite of the Roman Catholic Church has retained the tradition of administering all three at Baptism. Yes, the infant receives a small piece of the Eucharist bread. And so in the Eastern Rite, there is no formal celebration of First Holy Communion at the age of reason or Confirmation by the bishop at whatever age the local diocese has determined the age of maturity appropriate for Confirmation. All three sacraments are administered shortly after birth.

Others feel that the celebration of First Communion and Confirmation at a later age ensures the participation of youngsters in parish religious education programs – at least until Confirmation. In this case, many Catholics view Confirmation as the completion of or graduation from religious studies.

In recent years I have become convinced that the RCIA folks and the Eastern Rite Catholics have it right. All three sacraments of initiation should be administered together. First Holy Communion and Confirmation have become more social than spiritual. I do not mean to suggest that there is no connection or that there should be no celebration after sacramental ceremonies but for many, the accent is on the wrong syllable.

The path from Baptism to Christian maturity is life-long and the benchmarks for progress are not easily measured by grouping children by age or grade level for a period of preparation that is largely academic.

This is not to suggest that religious education is optional. Faith development is unique to each person within the context first of family and then of parish. Religious education / formation is intended to provide insight into faith development at an age-appropriate level.

Catholicism has become ‘child-centered’ the result of which, we have an adult population whose religious and spiritual development stopped at Confirmation.

The celebration of Eucharist is the primary setting for faith formation. Religious education is a necessary component but detached from Eucharist, it remain just another subject to master.

Of course this all assumes that the parish celebration of the Eucharist is truly inclusive and meaningful rather than just an empty ritual. The parish at worship should be a rendition of a community of faith that strives to live its faith ‘in the town square’ as I mentioned in Sunday’s homily.

Notwithstanding my commitment to religious dialogue, I do believe that effective dialogue is based on the assumption that although both parties are knowledgeable about the topic. Though they may have different perspectives, they are not based on ignorance of the subject.

Sixth Sunday of Easter 'B'

Sunday May 17, 2009

In all things, charity

It continues to astound me how the Scriptures come to life over and over again under different circumstances, age upon age. No matter how familiar I may be with a particular passage or combination of texts, life experiences continue to influence the way I read or hear the text proclaimed at worship. This is particularly true on special occasions such as baptism, weddings, anniversaries, graduations and funerals. This may be attributed to the fact that on these occasions, the congregation is present not so much to fulfill a religious obligation but freely as it were, in order to celebrate or find deeper meaning in life through the lens of special events.

Since Easter, we have been ‘pondering’ Luke’s description of the early post-resurrection communities in and around Jerusalem and as they expanded to Macedonia and eventually to Rome. Although he tells us that the early Church—more likely a movement within Judaism rather than a formal institution —was “at peace,” it was far from peaceful. I suppose he meant that the believers were ‘convicted,’ that is, confident believers.

Nevertheless they experienced some ambiguity in the application of the Christian message to new believers of different cultures and customs. The first believers were Jews who retained their Jewish culture with its rituals and customs. However, the Greek-speaking Jews received the message a little differently than their counter-parts in Jerusalem and the Greek gentiles at Antioch in Pisidia received it still differently than the Jews. For example, the Apostles needed to decide whether or not circumcision should be imposed on gentile converts to Christianity. There was no doubt in Peter’s mind that Cornelius, a Roman centurion and former pagan, and his household had received the gift of the Holy Spirit to which he, Peter, believed he must defer. And so he did not impose circumcision and exempted himself from the customary Jewish dietary law. In today’s Church, the Pope would reprimand him but Peter was the first Pope!

There are other references to circumcision and dietary laws in the Acts of the Apostles and in the writings of St. Paul. Circumcision was a major issue for early believers. The Jews and some of the apostles with them said that circumcision should be imposed on gentile converts while others who were more sympathetic to the Greeks said, “no, it was not necessary for salvation.” (I think one could make the case that this issue was even more controversial than mandatory celibacy. Could it be akin to the issue of women’s ordination?)

So naturally they formed a committee and eventually consulted with the authorities in Jerusalem, which in those days was the center of Christendom. The decision was against mandatory circumcision. Adherence to the Jewish dietary practices was sufficient. In the face of ambiguity, compromise set the pace and kept the peace. Not everyone was happy with the change but eventually all deferred to the will and wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

This is just one example of adaptability in the early Church.

Triggered by the scandal of the priest in Florida who was pictured with his ‘date’ on the cover of a tabloid magazine last week, Fox News commentator, Lou Dobbs, invited two priests – one a celibate convert who became a Catholic in protest to the ordination of women in the Episcopal Church. The other priest was noted writer and author, Anthony Padovano, a priest who was dispensed from his vows and no longer functioning canonically as an active priest. The segment was just long enough for a strong case to be made for optional rather than mandatory celibacy. For at least half of the life of the Church, there were married priests and the reasons for the imposition of mandatory celibacy were neither traditional nor deeply theological. Quite frankly, the defense of celibacy offered by the celibate priest was more embarrassing than cogent. Ironically, the married priest made a stronger case for optional celibacy than the celibate. In any case, a married priesthood has existed in the Eastern discipline of the Roman Catholic Church for centuries and there are many good reasons why it could work within the western discipline of the Church. It is curious that there have been fewer clerical scandals in the Eastern Church within married priesthood than in the Western Church bound my mandatory priestly celibacy.

We would do well to take a second look at the way the early Church evolved and functioned as it gradually became acclimated to early believers, both Jews and gentiles and to other cultures as the Church expanded west toward Rome and east toward Asia.

The Church as a human institution is an living organism that can stagnate unless it engages its members and even those who are not yet members in a dialogue of mind and heart about the many ways the Gospel message can be heard and lived. In the words of St. Augustine, “In essentials, unity; in non essentials, diversity; in all things, charity.”

In his gospel and in his first epistle, John stated that faithfulness is rooted in love—not the euphoria of puppy love but tried and true love that comes only when tried and tested by the hard knocks of life. A good marriage is subject to many challenges, some of which demand radical changes in life-style. Children bring to a marriage, new perspectives and wise parents eventually learn from their children, gaining new insights into what makes love long and lasting, what makes love strong enough to endure the test of time.

In the popular marriage inventory, Prepare-Enrich, engaged couples are queried, “Will romance fade in your lives?” Most of them respond with enthusiasm, “Of course not!” Yeah, right! Perhaps the question should be phrased, “Will romance change as love deepens?” Indeed it will and indeed it does!

In his first letter to the Corinthians St Paul wrote, “When all is said and done, there remain these three: faith, hope, and love but the greatest of these is love,” and I would add, “flexibility!”

Many wars have been fought in the name of religion. However, true religion is not characterized by the willingness to go to war but the courage to stand for peace. In the end we will be judged not by our physical power or prowess but by our complicity with evil in the face of our capacity for love.

Mother Theresa remains a model of what unbiased love can achieve. She was not always successful, but ultimately the measure of success is not in the achievement but in the will to be faithful and in the recognition that when love prevails, everything is gift and all is grace.

More recently, in the popular book, Three Cups of Tea – On man’s Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations … One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin [Penguin Publishing Co, New York, 2006] Greg Mortenson demonstrates the kind of gutsy love that comes from climbing mountains, an apt metaphor for the living of a full Christian life.s

It is for this reason that we need to keep our tables connected — this table and your table and the table of humanity too. We need to come here every week to break open the bread of God’s word listening to every word through the lens of our experience; to be astounded by the way the Bible continues to speak to us in season and out of season.

Life is full of ambiguity but we need not be ambivalent about ambiguity. God will continue to speak to us and answers will come and we will be empowered to faithfulness despite the changes in externals and institutional discipline.

“Love consists in this, not that we have loved God but that God has loved us.” and God plays no favorites. God’s love is impartial.

But when all is said and done, in the end there are three things that matter, faith, hope and love and the greatest of these is?

Flexibility!

_________

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