Who is this
ministry for?
This ministry is
for anyone who sincerely seeks God's presence in his or her life.
It is especially for folks who feel themselves emotinoally
connected to the Catholic tradition of Christianity, but who feel
alienated from what the 'Institutional' or 'Corporate' church has
become. It is for people who have been turned off or turned away by
the institution, but still long to seek god through the wisdom they
know is still within that tradition.
The good Lord admonished his disciples not to lay heavy burdens on
other peoples shoulders, and taught that they should be free of the
law – so that the spirit of God could reign in their hearts.
When the disciples complained that others were curing in the
Lord’s name – he reminded them that ‘those who
are not against us are with us.’ And perhaps most telling of
all, Jesus ate and drank with outcasts – tax collectors,
sinners, and lepers - much to the chagrin of the religious
authority of his day.
Catholicism – one of the great trunks of the Christian
tradition – is bigger than the institution that has evolved
around it. Catholicism is more than its corporate structure. It's
more than the bishops – though we ought to respect them. It
is more than the Pope, though he has claim on our loving attention.
Popes, bishops, and priests may be the ones with legal title to the
buildings, but they are just people. They can be woefully mistaken,
or even malfeasant, as just a glance at recent headlines reminds
us.
We
are the Church -- you and I
– the people of God. The church is the spirit within each of
our hearts; it is our own holiness and evolving spirituality. It is
our journey together – and on that journey each one of us has
the right to feel welcomed at the Lord’s Table, where we
recognize Him in the breaking of bread. Each has a right to
God’s blessing in our great moments of happiness and sadness
– at our weddings and at the loss of our loved ones, in our
own sickness and death. Each has a right to receive help on the
journey from those called to be helpers and guides in the way of
the Gospel. Isn't that what the priesthood is all about, being a
wise and helpful guide on the journey of the soul to God?
When the hierarchy loses its way – as it has from time to
time throughout history – it is incumbent on the rest of us
to claim our rights and assume our responsibility as members of
each other – the Body of Christ.
If you are alienated from the corporate church, you need not be
alienated from your Catholicism or from Christ. The Church –
though not the Roman Church's current leaders – welcomes
you just as you
are. It welcomes
you if you are searching, it welcomes you if you are weary or
confused, It welcomes you in your second marriages, it welcomes you
if you are gay, and it welcomes you if you are burdened down with
some unspeakable guilt or shame. It welcomes you in His name, the
one who has never ceased loving you – not even during the
times when you felt farthest from Him. It welcomes you, and calls
you home!