When the monastic orders were abolished in 1950, many of the monks were simply transferred to another monastery. As a result, a large number of monks crowded into a few selected monasteries. They had little to eat. In one village, lay supporters, mainly elderly women, brought food to the monks. Once, one of these women was asked by the guard:
– Why do you feed them? Let the Church take care of them!
To which the village woman replied:
– We are the Church.
What a positive self-awareness!
The mysterious body of Christ
An African missionary, a Protestant pastor, tried to explain to the black people why they should choose his church as believers. However, he realized during the mission that theological debates mean little to the people living on the black continent. The idea that the Church is the mysterious body of Christ is understandable. But why there are multiple churches, why there are multiple bodies of Christ, this is more scandalous than understandable phenomenon.
Let us admit that our African brothers and sisters today show us an example of Christian heroism. They understand that every denomination preaches the Trinity. And they understand something else…
Let’s be strange
Today, an increasing role is being given to simple, ordinary Christians in churches. However, there are fewer and fewer believers. There is a Catholic priest who has to serve 6-8 villages, but only 10-15 elderly people attend church in each village. This is why the term there is a lack of believers, not a lack of priests was coined.
I believe that this is not the responsibility of the priests, but of the believers.
One common mistake is that the believers want to get closer and closer to the role of the clergy. This is simply a case of role confusion. The mission of the believers is to reach out to the world. Jesus said that He did not ask the Father to take us out of the world, but to deliver us from evil (John 17:15). Our role is to become strange. Let’s stand out so that someone will ask: “Who do we want to please?” Certainly not our boss or the tax collector.
A call is needed
As a child, a cardinal asked his mother:
– What does it take to become a priest?
His mother replied:
– A call is needed.
In my opinion, to become a believer also requires a calling. And a special calling is needed for the special task that awaits them as believers.
Everyone in their own Church
In Taizé, the young converts are always told to go home and get involved in the life of their own church. This is great wisdom. It is difficult for a person to stand in a denomination to which they have no cultural ties. The psyche finds it easier to follow Christ in a regular, everyday way if it can do so with those around them.
Genuinely cheerful but determined souls are needed in every denomination. They are the people of dialogue.
Rákóczi Piroska
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😡anger
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