Word to the Wise
Monday, May 21, 2007 - Monday in the Seventh Week of Easter
[Acts 19:1-8 and John 16:29-33]While Apollos was in Corinth, 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." He said, "How were you baptized?" They replied, "With the baptism of John."
Anyone who does itinerant preaching or who has served in as many places as I have gets to experience a fairly wide range of American Catholicism. I have also experienced a fairly wide range of American and other cultural Catholic belief through my years of service as a campus minister at campuses which have students from all over the world. Although our church has a catechism, a Code of Canon Law, the documents of Vatican Council II and other teaching documents, the depth of understanding of Catholic faith is very uneven. Constant surveys show considerable ignorance of doctrine among the faithful. If this is true in a day of global communications, we should not be surprised that it was true in St. Paul's day! The hazards of travel and the newness of Christian faith made the task of evangelization far more risky than in our time. Traveling to Ephesus he discovers some "disciples" there who have been partially catechized. These disciples had no notion of Spirit baptism. The "baptism of John" continued after the time of Jesus and people were catechized according to the teaching of John the Baptist about Jesus. However, they were not taught the Pauline understanding of the Holy Spirit's role in configuring a believer to Christ. This is the understanding that ultimately prevailed in Catholic theology. It somewhat later that the teaching of baptism as a remedy for original sin developed. Paul's experience and our own in this day should challenge us to be aware of the enormous task of catechesis of people who are already believers but are poorly taught. This may include our own personal situation. Directors of Religious Education and Adult Faith Formation have their work cut out for them. However, it is not a new problem. Just ask St. Paul. AMEN
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