THE CATHOLIC WAY: A QUESTION OF BALANCE

1. A FIRM PURPOSE OF AMENDMENT
About a year ago, at the end of a meeting of the diocesan Council of Priests, the editor of this paper asked if there was anything in the days discussions that should be shared with the laity. It was entirely the wrong question. Nor is the editor is alone. Another priest asked the same question at a more recent diocesan meeting. The question shows a prevailing flaw in clergy thinking.

That kind of thinking is flawed because it leads to a "them-and-us" attitude in the church. It patronises people when they should be encouraged to active involvement in church life. It gives the impression that a man-made system of church government is a necessary part of the Gospel. It fosters an image of the Catholic priesthood as a caste, separate from the laity, rather than rooted in and receiving its mandate from, the faith we all share. Like dry rot it slowly undermines the confidence lay people should have in their own faith and their own spirit-given gifts. Bluntly, it makes them permanent shoppers at religious filling stations, rather than sharers in the mission of Christ. That many lay people may not even be aware of this imbalance only shows how deep the malaise has become. The question should not have been, "what can we safely tell the people" but rather, "Is there anything here that we CANNOT tell the people?"

We must be clear about this. There is no doubt that over many years, hundreds of priests have served this diocese well, giving sterling proof of a "calling" to serve Christ. Many too have shown themselves shrewd and wise in looking after church affairs in a way lay professionals, would admire. And, as in any organisation dealing with people, the Church will always have a need for confidentiality. But none of these are the issue. What is at issue is the prevailing culture of clerical control, even while leaning on lay expertise. Isn't it time we found a better balance between the clergy acting as bosses and managers, and a lay membership than needs to be treated as full members, if they are ever to feel part of things? Instinctively we may hesitate in the face of such a vision. But if the willingness to try is there, we will find away. Of course there will be growing pains, lessons to be learned on all sides. But a little hands-on experience would be worth a lot of unconvincing sermons telling people "you are the church". Some, new to such responsibility might prove hasty, even presumptuous, but we all need to learn. Who can deny people the use of their talents? The "Safe Hands" approach usually places too much emphasis on not rocking the boat, and not enough on enabling people to discover the powers God himself has vested in them.

Lent is a time for repentance, for us as individuals of course, but perhaps also for the diocese as a whole. If a purpose of amendment is to be entered into, three obvious opportunities to change our ways come to mind. These are the three diocesan reviews, which are at various stages at the moment: Finance & Property, Education, and Faith & Justice. Once the process is complete the findings of these reviews should be made available without undue delay. The longer they are deliberated, the more the suspicions will grow that the whole enterprise is being manipulated to put in place some clerically regulated agenda. At his installation, Bishop Patrick fired many of our hearts, though clearly not all, with his openness. "I have no ready-made answers and have a mind open - and I say this to you all, priests and laity - to your questions, plans and visions for the future." But if clerical minds, even just some of them, are not so willing and can think no other than they have always thought, it will take more than a visionary Bishop to change things. How little we hear of collaborative ministry these days. May we know why?

2. THE YEAR OF THE EUCHARIST
About ten years ago, a party of young Germans came to these parts with their Parish Priest, Fr Michael. They called in to one church to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. Fr Michael was leading them in prayer when the church door opened and a teacher from the local parish school came in with her class of youngsters, also to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. It was a lovely moment. Separated by nationality, language and age, they were all united in their shared belief in the Real Presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. Not just a lovely moment, but a lovely Catholic moment. The Eucharist is at the heart of everything Catholic, and should be in every Catholic's heart. What priest does not at least occasionally remind himself, as he walks to the altar for Mass, that he is also walking to his destiny. Pope John Paul's declaration of a Year of the Eucharist, to run from October 2004 to October 2005, came therefore as no surprise to practising Catholics of every nation. And yet, and yet...

For a number of reasons, it seems a pity that in the forty years that have passed since Vatican 2, the Church has never been called to celebrate a "Year of the Word". Too many of us have had to grow up with a warped view of the first part of the Mass, the Liturgy of the Word. It was simply readings from the bible, a mere prelude to the important part of the Mass. It was not uncommon to hear Catholics express sympathy with other Christian Churches because we had the sacraments, they had only a service of readings, hymns and prayers.

The second Vatican Council offered to change all that, not least in allowing the institutional Church to be challenged by the Word of God, rather than pick and choose from the Bible in order to find supports for its teachings. This was a wonderfully brave step and a welcome one. The Council even declared that when the word is proclaimed at Mass, Christ is really present. Really present! The last forty years has seen a huge growth in the use of the Bible among Catholics. But the error still persists that the Liturgy of the Word is not all that important. It harks back to a time when we were taught that we hadn't missed Mass completely just so long as we were there for the Offertory, the Consecration and the Priests' Communion. No mention of the Liturgy of the Word, or the Mass of Catechumens, as it was then called. So why in the space of forty years have we not been called to celebrate a Year of the Word? Without a lively conviction in the Bible as the living word of God, the sacraments run the risk of being treated as magic, albeit divine magic. Why has the bold and liberating vision of Vatican 2 not been acted upon and developed just as now we are being invited to develop the council's vision of the Eucharist? Indeed why is it now being said that Vatican 2's teachings on the Eucharist must be developed still further, when much of what the council had to say on the Eucharist has not been implemented at all?

Why has the word of God not been more clearly hailed as sacramental in itself, even if it is not listed among the seven sacraments? Could the sad truth be that the bold stance Vatican 2 took on the importance of the bible, fell on stony ground because so few of the clergy at that time, and perhaps even today, used the bible as anything more than a reference book to underpin dogma? If so, it is no surprise that forty years on, some would unwittingly reduce the Eucharist to the status of a private devotion by ignoring its place in the Proclaimed Word. Are we to witness God's gift of Vatican 2 being cemented over so that the institution can return to counting numbers? Such a prospect will not make many hearts "burn within them".

3. MAKING THE PRIESTHOOD ATTRACTIVE
A priest will sometimes describe part of his responsibilities as "Taking the sacraments to the sick". It is a clumsy way of putting it, enough to cast doubts on his understanding of the nature and role of the sacraments. It sounds rather like taking "meals on wheels" to the Housebound. Yet Catholics, especially dare one say it, of the older generation, rarely have any problem with the phrase. They recognise it for what it is, Catholic shorthand for a deeply spiritual, Christ-centred ministry of caring. Canon Law asks every Parish Priest to foster vocations. In practice, especially in these times, many do not know where to start. Perhaps if young people, could be given some experience of the depths touched by this side of a priest's ministry, it would lead to greater appreciation of the priest's role. Then who knows?