Word to the Wise
Monday, January 24, 2011 - Third Sunday in Ordinary Time
[Isaiah 8:23 - 9:3; 1 Corinthians 1:10-13, 17; Matthew 4:12-17]I urge you, brothers and sisters, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. For it has been reported to me about you, my brothers and sisters...that there are rivalries among you. [1 Corinthians]
One of the most difficult ministries in our church is that of a pastor - at least I thought so when I had that ministry! I could read the passage from St. Paul, quoted above, and just shake my head and say, "It's nothing new!" The different forms of "rivalry" could be amazing. They ranged from "groupie behavior" where parishioners would unite around various parish leaders (including the priests if the parish was lucky enough to have more than one!) to competition among parish organizations for space to put their "stuff," to disagreements about liturgical life or social outreach.
In the case of the Corinthians, Paul is aiming at "groupie" behavior which was affecting the way in which the one gospel was to be preached. Each group would claim that only their leader (the one who had baptized them) had the truth or was worthy of belief. His exasperated questions, "Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" give us a pretty good picture of what was going on. Different people were saying, "I belong to....."
This isn't just a local thing. It is reflected in the polarization that we experience in the Church and in civil society at large! Although I'm not much for "surfing the internet," some of the Catholic items that are forwarded to me by friends are frightening for the disdain and contempt that various groups in the church have for one another! Can we not have both diversity AND unity in our Catholic heritage? One could easily reword a famous comment by a Roman historian to say: "These Christians! See how they LOATHE one another!"
Given human diversity and weakness, it is probably too much to expect too much agreement! We do have the Catechism as a statement of faith, but that book is not going to solve the quarrel between the parish organizations over who gets which room to meet in! We have a Pope who has the last word in doctrinal matters, but he cannot command that we trust this or that other religious leader! Blessed are those among us who have the charism of leadership and peacemaking - who can unify without stifling diversity and remind us over and over again: "in all things, charity!" AMEN
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