"Be the Church!" Just Thoughts Essay

"Be the Church"--Just Thoughts

A banner in front of the Church of Christ in Chagrin Falls proclaims:

BE THE CHURCH

Protect the environment. Care for the poor.

Forgive often. Reject racism.

Fight for the powerless.

Share earthly and spiritual resources.

Embrace diversity. Love God. Enjoy this life.

At the bottom right, the banner proclaimed, "God is still speaking. United Church of Christ." A tear came to the eye because this is exactly what we Catholics ask of the Church. Pope Francis has spoken repeatedly, loud and clear, on exactly these issues. His apostolic exhortation, Evangelii gaudium, and his great encyclical, Laudato Si', are emphatic and powerful writings asking all humans to "protect the environment, " "care for the poor," and "share earthly and spiritual resources." 

The Holy Father radiates great joy, and even with the heavy burdens of the papacy, teaches us to "enjoy this life." The Holy Father, the great advocate of the environment and defender of the poor, walks the walk!

Is it such a surprise that the United Church of Christ is in such agreement with the Catholic Church? It shouldn't be. Remember that our creed says, "We confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins." We share the same DNA! We have many of the same beliefs and goals. Both traditions ask us to BE THE CHURCH!

[This essay was written for St. Mary's Painesville--for the bulletin for Sunday, August 23, 2015.]

"No Closed Doors! No Closed Doors!" (Pope Francis, August 5 2015)

Just Thoughts: “No Closed Doors! No Closed Doors!” (Pope Francis, August 5, 2015)

Last  week Pope Francis, speaking about Catholics who divorced and then remarried, said, “These persons are not by any means excommunicated.” The pontiff then repeated: “They are not excommunicated.” This is indeed good news to the thousands of divorced people who love the Church and want to remain in communion with the Church.

The Pope’s remarks are right in line with his compassionate and welcoming approach to all people--like Jesus, he welcomes the flawed, those who have stumbled,  and those who have sinned. He welcomes them back to the Church.

Many of us still recall from our youth how divorced Catholics were almost shunned. Yet today, how many families have had some experience with divorce? Few have been untouched!

A Catholic news service reports it this way: “Quoting from his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (‘The Joy of the Gospel’), the pontiff said: ‘The church is called to always be the open house of the father. No closed doors,’ he told the audience, repeating: ‘No closed doors!’”

Hopefully this becomes a rallying cry for the Church in the 21st Century. It echoes Saint Pope John XXIII’s call in early 1959 to “throw open the windows of the Church.” Gather all in to this good, loving,  and nurturing community--our Church.

[Above is the "Just Thoughts" column for St. Mary's Painesville--August 16, 2015]

Just Thoughts: Seattle, Pope Francis, and the Poor

Just Thoughts: What Pope Francis Says about Treatment of the Poor

On a recent trip to visit my daughter, I was struck by the vast gap between the wealthy and the poor in Seattle, one of the most successful and prosperous cities in America. Seattle is beautiful in so many ways: its great port, its geography, its exciting Pike Place Market, the green hills, blue lakes, and spectacular Mt. Rainier dominating the region. The trip from wealthy downtown Seattle to the airport is an eye-opener, however, and you see that this city is similar to all American cities. As you travel south from downtown to the airport, you see a change in the city’s complexion. You see Vietnamese, Cambodian, Latino, African-American, and Chinese neighborhoods. So much of this area is shabby and poverty-stricken. And even downtown you see homeless people and beggars on the street, reminding one of Third World countries. Wealth, prosperity, is not close to an equitable division in Seattle.

In Pope Francis’s stunning “apostolic exhortation,” Evangelii Gaudium, “The Joy of the Gospel,” his explanation of the Church’s position on this issue is unambiguous, and truly radical. The Pope writes, “Our faith in Christ, who became poor, and was always close to the poor and the outcast, is the basis of our concern for the integral development of society’s most neglected members. Each individual Christian and every community is called to be an instrument of God for the liberation and promotion of the poor, and for enabling them to be fully a part of society.”

Later the Pope writes, “In all places and circumstances, Christians, with the help of their pastors, are called to hear the cry of the poor.” And then, in paragraph 192, Pope Francis gets even more specific: “We are not simply talking about ensuring nourishment or a ‘dignified sustenance’ for all people, but also their ‘general temporal welfare and prosperity.’ This means education, access to health care, and above all employment, for it is through free, creative, participatory and mutually supportive labour that human beings express and enhance the dignity of their lives. A just wage enables them to have adequate access to all the other goods which are destined for our common use.”

Wow! Pope Francis made the church’s position on these social issues perfectly clear.