My classmates probably realize by now that I’m annoyingly concerned with mission and evangelization. I’m constantly thinking about mission-related questions, like how is the Church growing? How is the Church engaging in the work of healing? How is the Church righting its past wrongs? How is the Church leading pastorally? How is the Church inviting all people into the love of Christ for which they were made?
A quote that drives my mission-mindedness is from St. Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi: “The Church exists in order to evangelize” (§14). This is a strong statement. The Church does not exist as a passive entity. The Church is sent by Christ to go forth and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).
The mission of the Church is undeniably urgent. So many people to tell the good news, so few people to tell them, so few resources, so little time, etc. So then what do we do when mission is forced to wait?
This week, we unpacked several ways that the ecumenical movement is progressing towards unity through dialogue. There have been many wonderful international exchanges and outcomes so far; some notable ones we talked about this week include the World Council of Churches (est. 1948) and its Faith and Order Commission, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church (est. 1980), and the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (est. 1969). These commissions have published several documents highlighting similarities and differences between churches and don’t seem to shy away from the hard questions. They lay them all on the table and say, okay, we will keep trying to deal with this.
The dicastery visits this week revealed to me that significant progress takes a long time. But all that time is not being wasted. Earlier this week I was thinking about how the Second Vatican Council ended over sixty years ago, and I thought we would have had all the answers by now! And yet, we have also come quite far. Sixty years ago, none of these commissions and groups dedicated to the ecumenical movement existed in the Catholic Church. Right now, much of the ecumenical movement is still about listening and making space for one another. There is absolutely no rush to come to conclusions, which is not easy to grapple with for a society that is so used to convenience and speed. In our conversations with the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, there were a lot of questions and hypotheticals, a lot of “We are still working through that,” and “We still don’t know the answer”—but I didn’t find it to be excusatory, or lackadaisical, or lazy. Instead, there was a real sense of commitment and concern for every detail and ensuring that nothing gets overlooked or pushed aside. Some of the questions they raised include: How can the East and West be more synodal? How can we connect dialogues on the local, regional, and national levels? How do we connect all the dialogues of the different churches? And the question we all keep asking: what will unity look like?
I wrote last week that imprudence has been a major factor in our churches’ divisions; I am pleased to see that today’s Church leaders are dealing with things with a great amount of prudence, patience, sensitivity, and charity.
As for my question regarding evangelization and ecumenism, I’ve come to realize that each dicastery responds to a different area of human need. They certainly would never contradict one another, and together they aim to nourish the whole human person (as well as the whole human family). Even though the collaboration between the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Dicastery for Evangelization is still rather new and they don’t have all the answers I’m looking for, I am comforted knowing that we really are in good hands.
A conversation with a classmate also helped me to think about what to do in the “waiting.” She said, “When we ask, ‘What is the Church doing about this?’ You also have to consider, ‘Well, who is the Church?’” I realized what she was saying: we are the Church. I am the Church. What am I doing about the mission of unity, and how can I start right now?
-Marie
A quote that drives my mission-mindedness is from St. Paul VI’s Evangelii Nuntiandi: “The Church exists in order to evangelize” (§14). This is a strong statement. The Church does not exist as a passive entity. The Church is sent by Christ to go forth and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19-20).
The mission of the Church is undeniably urgent. So many people to tell the good news, so few people to tell them, so few resources, so little time, etc. So then what do we do when mission is forced to wait?
"The Church in the modern world.”
This week, we unpacked several ways that the ecumenical movement is progressing towards unity through dialogue. There have been many wonderful international exchanges and outcomes so far; some notable ones we talked about this week include the World Council of Churches (est. 1948) and its Faith and Order Commission, the Joint International Commission for Theological Dialogue Between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church (est. 1980), and the Anglican-Roman Catholic International Commission (est. 1969). These commissions have published several documents highlighting similarities and differences between churches and don’t seem to shy away from the hard questions. They lay them all on the table and say, okay, we will keep trying to deal with this.
The dicastery visits this week revealed to me that significant progress takes a long time. But all that time is not being wasted. Earlier this week I was thinking about how the Second Vatican Council ended over sixty years ago, and I thought we would have had all the answers by now! And yet, we have also come quite far. Sixty years ago, none of these commissions and groups dedicated to the ecumenical movement existed in the Catholic Church. Right now, much of the ecumenical movement is still about listening and making space for one another. There is absolutely no rush to come to conclusions, which is not easy to grapple with for a society that is so used to convenience and speed. In our conversations with the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, there were a lot of questions and hypotheticals, a lot of “We are still working through that,” and “We still don’t know the answer”—but I didn’t find it to be excusatory, or lackadaisical, or lazy. Instead, there was a real sense of commitment and concern for every detail and ensuring that nothing gets overlooked or pushed aside. Some of the questions they raised include: How can the East and West be more synodal? How can we connect dialogues on the local, regional, and national levels? How do we connect all the dialogues of the different churches? And the question we all keep asking: what will unity look like?
I wrote last week that imprudence has been a major factor in our churches’ divisions; I am pleased to see that today’s Church leaders are dealing with things with a great amount of prudence, patience, sensitivity, and charity.
What impressed me most about the leaders of the dicasteries is their acute awareness of everything going on in the universal Church. I’ve never had to think on that scale before! Archbishop Pace made a comment about observing some church movements on YouTube. I was surprised by the modernity of that research method, but I shouldn’t be. They are deeply concerned, and they’re being proactive. I admire that very much.
Image of St. Peter and St. Andrew, representatives of the West and East, embracing.
In the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity.
As for my question regarding evangelization and ecumenism, I’ve come to realize that each dicastery responds to a different area of human need. They certainly would never contradict one another, and together they aim to nourish the whole human person (as well as the whole human family). Even though the collaboration between the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the Dicastery for Evangelization is still rather new and they don’t have all the answers I’m looking for, I am comforted knowing that we really are in good hands.
A conversation with a classmate also helped me to think about what to do in the “waiting.” She said, “When we ask, ‘What is the Church doing about this?’ You also have to consider, ‘Well, who is the Church?’” I realized what she was saying: we are the Church. I am the Church. What am I doing about the mission of unity, and how can I start right now?
-Marie
Marie, thank you for such an incredibly articulate post. (Again, I had no idea how/why/THAT St. Andrew is the founder (?) of the Eastern churches.) The Church's mission to evangelize IS urgent. St. Paul's statement, "The Church exists in order to evangelize" makes that mission clear, uncomplicated, and immediate. (I'm keeping and will use that!)
ReplyDeleteI think of character Brenda Walsh in a 1992 episode of Beverly Hills 90210 telling her mom "when we're in Minnesota, you act all Beverly Hills, but when we're in Beverly Hills, you act all Minnesota." When I'm with my friends who want a more synodal/listening church, I'm impatient and ready to insist on evangelization. Don't they see how difficult it is for young people to keep their faith? We're in a fight of sorts. But when I'm with my much more traditional, seemingly happy with obedience without understanding friends, I'm ready for them to slow down and appreciate the complexities involved. As you stated so clearly, regarding the dicasteries, it's reaffirming to see that different tasks of the Church are in good hands. It's a large global church with many parts accomplishing different tasks at once.