Third Sunday of Ordinary Time  ~  A

January 23, 2011

Isaiah 8:23-9:3-1    ~    Psalm 27     ~     1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17      ~    Matthew 4:12-23

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SABBATH REFLECTIONS

Sabbath

Reflections through the

week...

  Where is your story in the

  Sacred Story today?

 

  What issues are divisive

  among Catholics?  How can

  they be less so?

  Jesus's followers were a

  a very diverse group:

  fishermen, women of

  means, to say nothing of

  prostitutes, Tax collectors

  and sinners.  How did HE

  manage it?

  In 1992 Cardinal Bernardin

  of Chicago put into motion

  a process known at the

  Common Ground Initiative.

  Follow this link to learn

  more about that vision.

 

  In praying for the unity of

  Catholics it might be good

  to start with Part IV of

  "Called To Be Catholic," an

  action statement of the

  Common Ground Initiative.

Being Catholic

Every Sunday morning, members of St. Swithin’s Church

gather for the celebration of the Eucharist.  They are a

rather diverse group.

Ralph thinks the bishops are human and that they are

doing the best they can in the face of the many critical

issues in the church. Jack is furious with the bishops’

arrogance and their uncompromising attitudes on those

issues.

Joan faithfully leads the rosary before every Sunday Mass.

Helen gauges her arrival at Mass on Sunday to avoid it.

Marian thinks that priests should marry if they choose.

Frank and Sally firmly support priestly celibacy. Kurt

thinks there is nothing wrong with women being priests.

Rick thinks their pastor is the greatest priest on earth.

Jim cringes every time their pastor goes to the pulpit.

George and Laurie question the direction in which this

Pope is taking the church. Randi and Tony believe

the Pope acts and speaks on behalf of God in all things.

Beatrice is pro-choice and chooses life. Kate is pro-life

and attends every pro-life march.

Ken would like his parish to offer the Latin Mass. Will

and Joyce are upset with what they consider the current

liturgical backtracking.

Bill and Phyliss love and support their gay son and his

partner. John  thinks that gays are destroying the family.

Will the real Catholic please stand up!  At this point everyone at St. Swithin’s (and your parish church) should stand up.

Like it or not, that is the face of Catholicism, and though we might not agree with one or the other of the members of the St. Swithin’s community or in our own parish family, we should never question their faith.   This isn’t slipping into “relativism.”  It is, however, an admission that the Body of Christ in twenty-first century America is capable of coming to their own conclusions about the issues facing them and their church.

St. Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians is also addressed to us.  The issues are far more complex than in that first century of the church.  But the twenty centuries following that letter should have taught us that Christianity, though established by the Son of God, is made up of human beings, and so that church will fail and that church will triumph.  It’s part of the journey. It’s who we are.  What is essential is the death and resurrection of the Son of God who came, as the Gospel today proclaims,

that what had been said through Isaiah the prophet

might be fulfilled:

Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the way to the sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles,

the people who sit in darkness have seen a great light,

on those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death

light has arisen.

Both the prophecy of Isaiah and the message and mission of the Christ are clearly intended to be inclusive.  The Good News is that God’s love embraces all.  For all our diversity as Christians and as Catholics, we are one in Christ, one in our belief that what is essential is that we “love God and love our neighbor as ourselves.”  He said it.  We say we believe it.  How do we live it?  As Christians we have been challenged not to be in the business of judging: “do not judge that you might not be judged.”  He said it.  We say believe him.  How do we live it?

As we traditionally pray at this time of year for unity among all Christians, we could easily, and more appropriately, begin by praying for the unity of Roman Catholics!  That prayer is not and should not be a prayer for uniformity, but rather for a reasoned unity in diversity.  After all, the word catholic means universal, inclusive.  We have to admit that it is very difficult in an age of knee-jerk reactions, exacerbated by instant communication, to exercise thoughtful and reasoned dialog on any even mildly controversial topic.  But there is a difference between diversity and division: there can be no unity with the latter, but the former can lead to a more compassionate and inclusive church.

There is no reason for Rick and Jim not to be able to celebrate the Sunday Eucharist in joyful union, regardless of their opinion of their pastor.  Joan’s and Helen’s attitude towards praying the rosary is no impediment to embracing the Body of Christ and therefore one another.  With the largest religious denomination in the United States said to be former Catholics, it’s time for some prayer and action on behalf of the unity of Catholics.  There is no better time and place for both than at the Sunday Eucharist. 

Let us now share the gift of Christ’s peace with one another.