Church? What church? November 8, 2004
What, exactly does the word “church” mean? Many people hear the word and think about a building. Many of us would think of this building. It’s our church.
We have three readings today that talk about church. The first reading and the Gospel talk about the temple, which was the name in biblical times for the building that we call “church.” So, “church” does mean a building.
But, in the second reading, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and also in the Gospel, “church” means a person, or a group of people. Paul says “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of rebuilding the temple in three days. He wasn’t talking about piling up bricks and mortar, He was talking about His own resurrection. So we’re the church, you and me……. and Jesus.
But, there’s another “church.” The “church” teaches that abortion is a sin. The church says that we should fast on Ash Wednesday. The church says Sunday is a day of obligation. What church is that? That’s the official church, the Magisterium, the hierarchy, the Pope and the bishops. So, are they the church?
Obviously the answer is D, all the above. Christ is the Church. You and I are the church. Pope John Paul II and his bishops are the church. This building is the church.
We’re Catholics. Every Sunday we go to church in this church because the church says we should. Three different “churches”.
It’s ironic that we have these readings in a week when the church has made news because it’s planning to close some churches. This is where things get fuzzy. Ask most people to describe “church” and they’ll probably say it’s a building with a steeple where people worship. That’s what people think of as “church”. But is that true? The merger plan has nothing to do with "church." It's about real estate and the best use of resources. We're all called to make the best use of our time, talent and treasure; even the church. We don't have an endless supply of money and we don't have enough priests to operate all the buildings that are in use today. Something has to give.
It’s no secret that this “church” is on the bubble. It has been for a long time. We’re small. We’re within walking distance of at least two other churches, more if you’re really into walking. Hopefully, St. Bernadette will be here for a long, long time. Remember the previous Archbishop called us “vibrant.”
But, what if they do decide to close this parish sometime in the future? Would we all stop being Catholics? I don’t think so. As much as most of us love his place, it’s not what makes us who we are. I saw a great example of that this past weekend.
I was in Kansas City for a wedding. The groom grew up in our parish and attended our parish school. Today he’s in his early twenties. There were three young people there who also grew up in our parish and attended our parish school. One lives in California and two live in St. Louis. All four of these kids had been members of RAVE, our parish youth group.
They’ve gone on to high school and then to college, they live in three different cities, yet they’re still friends, willing to travel a long way to attend the wedding of one of the group.
What do they have in common? They belong to the same “church.” I’m pretty sure that has nothing at all to do with the building.
Hopefully the people who are affected by the recent announcement of possible closings will remember that the church they belong to is a lot more than just a building. We would certainly welcome them here, because we’re all part of the same church.
We have three readings today that talk about church. The first reading and the Gospel talk about the temple, which was the name in biblical times for the building that we call “church.” So, “church” does mean a building.
But, in the second reading, Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, and also in the Gospel, “church” means a person, or a group of people. Paul says “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” In the Gospel, Jesus speaks of rebuilding the temple in three days. He wasn’t talking about piling up bricks and mortar, He was talking about His own resurrection. So we’re the church, you and me……. and Jesus.
But, there’s another “church.” The “church” teaches that abortion is a sin. The church says that we should fast on Ash Wednesday. The church says Sunday is a day of obligation. What church is that? That’s the official church, the Magisterium, the hierarchy, the Pope and the bishops. So, are they the church?
Obviously the answer is D, all the above. Christ is the Church. You and I are the church. Pope John Paul II and his bishops are the church. This building is the church.
We’re Catholics. Every Sunday we go to church in this church because the church says we should. Three different “churches”.
It’s ironic that we have these readings in a week when the church has made news because it’s planning to close some churches. This is where things get fuzzy. Ask most people to describe “church” and they’ll probably say it’s a building with a steeple where people worship. That’s what people think of as “church”. But is that true? The merger plan has nothing to do with "church." It's about real estate and the best use of resources. We're all called to make the best use of our time, talent and treasure; even the church. We don't have an endless supply of money and we don't have enough priests to operate all the buildings that are in use today. Something has to give.
It’s no secret that this “church” is on the bubble. It has been for a long time. We’re small. We’re within walking distance of at least two other churches, more if you’re really into walking. Hopefully, St. Bernadette will be here for a long, long time. Remember the previous Archbishop called us “vibrant.”
But, what if they do decide to close this parish sometime in the future? Would we all stop being Catholics? I don’t think so. As much as most of us love his place, it’s not what makes us who we are. I saw a great example of that this past weekend.
I was in Kansas City for a wedding. The groom grew up in our parish and attended our parish school. Today he’s in his early twenties. There were three young people there who also grew up in our parish and attended our parish school. One lives in California and two live in St. Louis. All four of these kids had been members of RAVE, our parish youth group.
They’ve gone on to high school and then to college, they live in three different cities, yet they’re still friends, willing to travel a long way to attend the wedding of one of the group.
What do they have in common? They belong to the same “church.” I’m pretty sure that has nothing at all to do with the building.
Hopefully the people who are affected by the recent announcement of possible closings will remember that the church they belong to is a lot more than just a building. We would certainly welcome them here, because we’re all part of the same church.
posted by Mike at 3:03 PM
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