Good insight. I think this thought is definitely worth delving into more deeply. I share the frustration that people (myself included) are often looking for someone/thing to pin all the blame on (the clergy, the liturgy, the Diocese, the Boomers, etc.) and rarely do we collectively take responsibility for our evangelical mission.
This one was excellent. I would only make the minor point that unfortunately we have all been psychologically programed by the modern culture into the Enlightenment Philosophical error of "rugged individualism" and also been made into seeing the Sacraments as separate from the community aspect of the Church which is another error. The Eucharist is "the source and summit of our Faith" and there is a "universal call to Holiness" as Vatican II beautifully said. But, both of those things always occur within the context of Community. Even if a hermit priest in the desert consecrates and consumes the Eucharist alone, he is not really alone because he is receiving Holy *Communion*. He is communing together with all Saints, Purgatory Souls, and everyond who receives worthily or without mortal culpability at every mass. And the job of hermits is not to be seen as pure isolation. Their job is to pray for all of our needs, it is to keep themselves as clean and virtuous as possible for the purpose of more powerful prayer for us all. And this is only for those legitimately uniquely called. It would be sinful for them to view themselves as purely isolated from us or rejecting fellowship with us.
Part of the challenge I see is that most people (in/out of church) don’t know how to persevere in relationships, especially with those they disagree. Instead, tendency is to ditch them and go find some place else where you are “accepted” because folks don’t know how to have difficult and hard conversations necessary to community. Bottom line, until we learn that any community is not just a place where everybody likes me, but is also going to be filled with people we don’t necessarily “like” then building “better” communities isn’t possible.
Criticism: The Matthew 5 injunctions about how to handle an unrepentant sinner implies that Community includes more than one’s nuclear family. Similarly with various other texts across the Epistles. Community IS first in the sense that it’s larger and more encompassing. Felix Lopez is right.
Good insight. I think this thought is definitely worth delving into more deeply. I share the frustration that people (myself included) are often looking for someone/thing to pin all the blame on (the clergy, the liturgy, the Diocese, the Boomers, etc.) and rarely do we collectively take responsibility for our evangelical mission.
This one was excellent. I would only make the minor point that unfortunately we have all been psychologically programed by the modern culture into the Enlightenment Philosophical error of "rugged individualism" and also been made into seeing the Sacraments as separate from the community aspect of the Church which is another error. The Eucharist is "the source and summit of our Faith" and there is a "universal call to Holiness" as Vatican II beautifully said. But, both of those things always occur within the context of Community. Even if a hermit priest in the desert consecrates and consumes the Eucharist alone, he is not really alone because he is receiving Holy *Communion*. He is communing together with all Saints, Purgatory Souls, and everyond who receives worthily or without mortal culpability at every mass. And the job of hermits is not to be seen as pure isolation. Their job is to pray for all of our needs, it is to keep themselves as clean and virtuous as possible for the purpose of more powerful prayer for us all. And this is only for those legitimately uniquely called. It would be sinful for them to view themselves as purely isolated from us or rejecting fellowship with us.
Confucius say: he who fart in church sit in own pew
The flip side of this is that a dysfunctional/abusive faith community is probably the most destructive force out there.
Part of the challenge I see is that most people (in/out of church) don’t know how to persevere in relationships, especially with those they disagree. Instead, tendency is to ditch them and go find some place else where you are “accepted” because folks don’t know how to have difficult and hard conversations necessary to community. Bottom line, until we learn that any community is not just a place where everybody likes me, but is also going to be filled with people we don’t necessarily “like” then building “better” communities isn’t possible.
Good article.
Criticism: The Matthew 5 injunctions about how to handle an unrepentant sinner implies that Community includes more than one’s nuclear family. Similarly with various other texts across the Epistles. Community IS first in the sense that it’s larger and more encompassing. Felix Lopez is right.