My Reflections on the Church - Karagizi Prosper 11125

KARAGIZI PROSPER

11125T

 How is our church said to be holy and sinful at the same time?

As we may know, we profess our faith precisely in the holiness of this church which shall be composed of sinners up to the end of Time.

This is the Catholic faith and it was spontaneously expressed from the beginning since it gave the church the Title of community of saints (Acts 9, Rom 8), but after this realization we daresay that the apostles were not the simple-minded people, for they were aware of the scandals in their company, remember that there were Ananias and Safira who were maligns to God, and many others. The fathers of the church in their turn were shrewd men but although they were inclined to castigate the sins of their flocks they were equally disposed to sing the splendour of the church.

The Credo by incorporating the Holy church shows what is important. Even this truth has been repeated in documents of Magesterium time after time tirelessly. This fact shows that the holiness of the church to which we belong, in accordance to revelation is not an accidental quality but one of the elements in the church’s structure.

However, the fact that the holiness of the church, and since it is without hesitation affected by sins of its members inadequate and imperfect. In looking at an utterance of St John Chrysostom we find this affirmation, and I quote “the church is a house built of our souls. And this house is not equally respectable in all parts, among the stones which go to make it up some are brilliant and polished whilst others are dark, and of inferior quality but yet are better than some others.”

As the pilgrim church,( not a perfect society) we must admit that the holiness of the church which finite, and fragile will never be fully attained until last day, when the purification of God’s people will be completed. And so in this aspect we daresay that the church’s holiness is eschatological. Our church we believe in is incomplete but living in hope.

For the glory of Jesus and his Holy Church

Karagizi Prosper, OFM

11125T

As the conclusion of whatever I have shared previously, we can now ask ourselves that what is the Church?

The church is both a visible phenomenon and invisible and supernatural reality, and it must be considered in these both aspects.

The church visible has her own governmental structure, her own code of laws, her own courts. But those who see only the outward appearance of the church I must say that they will never be able to see her as she truly is.  On the other hand I must say that those who see the Church only as a supernatural entity , ignoring her visible outward form, who consider that the Church exists as an ideal., not in history , I may say that  they also are making an error.

The other question we can ask ourselves is that what then is the mystery of the Church?  Defining the mystery in its original sense as an event produced by God‘s power and revealed by God in the very act of bringing it about. However in this way, the mystery of the Church consist in the interdependence ,  within her walls, I mean the Church of history and eternity of God , of man and of God, of the visible and of invisible.

The church is the Mystical Body of Christ, both in its visible form and in its invisible reality. Christ himself constituted it visibly by giving it authorities and powers, and a mission in history, as we may know the Church is missionary in its very nature (cf. A G 9) and again “the mission is something that the church before it is something the church” in carrying out the mission the church realizes its nature. Remember that the core of the life of the church is mission, without mission the church cannot be said and the primary agent of that mission in the church is the Holy Spirit, as can be seen in the early church when Spirit worked through the Apostles, but at the same time he was also at work in those who heard them opening their minds and their hearts to the Good News, to the Kerygmatic message. This in a nutshell is the mission of the church. Remember again that according to (LG 9) as mentioned above “the church is missionary by its nature”. And so the church and we who belong to it are called to participate in a project that comes from God and belong to God. By his Passion and Resurrection, he breathed his life and Spirit into it.

      For the glory of Christ and his Holy Church, Amen

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The church as communion

The church lives its communion not only within, but also in relation to other communities. It collaborates with other churches in the evangelical witness and service to all people.  Communion in the church is is the cornerstone and very heart of life of the church.

Communion in the church is a dynamic rather than a static reality, and therefore the church is called to establish this communion among all the people of Gog. Just as the many parts of the human body, though they are many, form one body, so are the faithful in Christ ( 1cor 12:12). Also in the building up of Christ’s body, this diversity of members gives its own riches and each member through individual  and collective services contributes towards the building up of the whole. Jesus Christ continually provides in his body , that is in his church , the  gifts of ministries, so that by his power , we may be serving each other unto salvation, and caring in truth and in love, we may through all things grow into him, who is our head ( Eph 4:11-16). Thus the whole whole community together, forms the church in the world. Jesus played to the father for his disciples in John 17, by saying: “I am not asking you to take them away out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from evil one... sanctify them in the truth .. as you have sent Me into the world .” thus , the church as community in the midst of the world . it is always community, that takes reality seriously , because here is where God has called us to establish his kingdom.

 The church throughout the world has taken the cause of the poor. The more the church takes up its global role and identifies herself with the wounded humanity, its it. The true identity is revealed, and also Jesus identification with the most needed of human family, is manifested. The option for the poor, is not said to only a call to be in solidarity with those who suffer, but it is also an invitation to support all those who are struggling to become the torch bearers for justice and through humanity in the same communion. The task of the church as communion is to champion a whole new social order of freedom in community. The church is a sacrament of communion with God and communion between one another.

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A SHORT REFLECTION OF AFRICAE MUNUS

“Be the salt of the African earth,” Pope Benedict XVI challenged Catholics as he formally released his apostolic exhortation, AfricaeMunus, briefing the key insights of the 2nd African Synod.

Africae Munus is visualised as the carry-over of the ecclesia in Africa. As we may know this document was published in 1995.  With this the Africae munus highlights its great importance by giving the grand momentum to the development or if you like to the growth of the church in the African continent at large. The same document also developed the idea of the church as family of God as far as the ecclesia is concerned. It considers the church of God at the level of Small Christian Community whereby we have a small number of Christian who know each other, they advise each other, they teach each other , they serve each other like the times Apostles, and finally they gain the power to go to witness.

            The very aim of the Africae munus that means African Commitment is to reinforce this this dynamism of the church for the development or the growth of the church in a special way in Africae that will be beneficial to the universal church. Again this document has for objective to draw round a pastoral programme for the evangelization in Africa with the emphasis on concept of reconciliation, justice and peace. There is a tremendous need to evangelize the culture of reconciliation, justice and peace; to sensitize and concretize the understanding the urgency of the reconciliation, justice, and peace.

In Africa we are invited to be as Christian “the salt to the earth and the light to the world.” This is an invitation for each and every Baptized person.

Africae munus also speaks of the main theological principles such as how Christ is the source of that church’s reconciling mission. That the way to the reconciliation involves peace and justice; and this therefore includes an authentic conversion. The religious sources like the celebration of the sacraments of penance for instance leads to the spirituality of communion, this leads to living in harmony with God, others and finally with the nature. This document nevertheless mentions that the church must embrace the enculturation of the gospels. This path again must include the protection of the life, migrants, displaced persons, refugees, the good governance of the state. The church has a duty to embrace ecumenical dialogue, and inter-religious dialogue. The other theological approach is that of the church as the mystery of communion, as the family of God. It explains how s person become members of the church, Baptism is one of the paths, mystical body of Christ each individual member is a mystery of communion. All members of the church must contribute to the ecclesial community, and also to the civil peace, justice and communion in the civil society. The church in Africa is a community of of African Christian believers as Jesus called the disciples and formed a community of disciples around him. Later he chose the 12 whom he sent to continue his saving mission. And so the church is the people working together towards the salvation. Moreover, the work of salvation involves all Christian in the evangelization. So, all the baptized Christian has a mission of evangelization.

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The appearance of the church as mystery from the beginning

While reflecting on the church, it raised some of the wonders in my mind, by asking myself what was there before the church. So I came to realise that the mystery of the church was at work even before the word church itself had been uttered out. Looking carefully I notice that the mystery is beyond time  not only  in the Divine mind which decreed the existence of the church from all eternity   but also in supernatural providence which constantly keeps what over the church gradual emergency , and this is the mystery of Divine provenience

The mystery of the church had also been present in time since the beginning of the world. It is on her behalf that the master of history has intervened in its process. The church then in God’s good time and all creatures through under are to be brought together under one single head, Christ Jesus, until this time comes and in the order that it may come; God arouses in the hearts of the best among his people the desire and the hope of his reign.

To some also he suggested the outlines of what is to come in the shape of magnified images of their experience. The mystery of the church according to my understanding is the mystery of Divine presence in the Israel. During that time God wrote on the page of human freedom a special story, composed of the joy and suffering of men in their lives and in their death. But in this story, so like many others and so unspectacular, we find not only hopes and fears of men, but also God’s plan of mercy.

The church is a mystery, and such it is imbued with God’s hidden presence. Born of the father’s love, Christ’s saving work  and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, the church here on earth reflect the mystery of , the church therefore cannot be fully understood or Defined . We do however have, have limited access to the meaning of the church’s mysteries. It may be found in the parable and images Christ used, the growth of the church‘s self awareness in history and the eloquence of Christian behaviour in the lives of the saints and all faithful members of the community.

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My Reflections on the Church - Rumanyika Aphrodis -11104

THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER ECCLESIA DE EUCHARISTIA

The Encyclical letter Ecclesia De Eucharistia was written by Pope John Paul II and was published on 17^th April 2003. It is said that the pope officially signed this Encyclical letter during the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday evening and had been made public on the Vatican web site earlier in the day. This Encyclical is reflection on the Eucharistic mystery in the Church. It is composed of six chapters. In his introduction pope John Paul II says that he is intending to cast out the dark clouds of unacceptable doctrine and practice concerning the Eucharist. The pope insists that Christians must be in full communion with the church in Order to participate in the Eucharist.                                                                                                                                            
In this Encyclical letter the Pope writes that the Eucharist is too great to for anyone to feel free to treat it lightly and with disregard for its sacredness and its universality. The Church draws her life from the Eucharist. This is the reason why the Paschal mystery is at the centre of the Church’s life. The Holy Father continues arguing that the liturgical observances of the Holy week should lead Catholics to a deeper appreciation for the Eucharist. The first chapter which deals with “the mystery of faith”, the Holy Father explains the sacrificial nature of the Eucharist through which the priest makes Christ present among his people though his body and his blood. The second chapter whose theme is “Eucharist build the Church”, the Holy Father explains that the faithful do not only receive Christ but they in turn are received by him. The consecrated bread and wine are the force that generates the Church’s unity.                                                  
The third chapter is a “reflection on the apostolicity of the Eucharist”. The Pope explains it by saying that “just as the full reality of the Church does not exist without apostolic succession, so there is no true Eucharist without the Bishop”. The fourth chapter is about the “Eucharist and Ecclesial Communion”. Here the pope again explains that the Eucharist creates communion and builds communion when it is celebrated faithfully as it is never subject to particular individuals. Chapter five deals with “the dignity of the Eucharistic celebration”, the Pope explains that the celebration of the Mass is marked by signs which symbolises the joy of the community which is around the incomparable gift of the Eucharist. The last chapter whose theme is “At the school of Mary”; the Holy Father teaches the intimate union the mystery of the Eucharist in our life by using an analogy of Mary who bore Jesus in her womb and became the first tabernacle. When the Eucharist is given to the believers, their life becomes a continuous magnificat in the honour of the most Holy Trinity. In conclusion the Holy Father edifies us saying that those who wish to pursue the way of holiness the answer is Christ. He only asks them to know him, to love him and to imitate him. The key to the implementation of this process is in the Holy Eucharist.

THE PAPAL ENCYCLICAL UT UNUM SINT OR (ON COMITMMENT TO ECUMENISM)

This papal Encyclical is an Encyclical letter written by Pope John Paul II which was published on 25 May 1995. In this Encyclical, Pope John Paul II is calling all Christians to develop the spirit of an ecumenical dialogue with other Christians, as it was suggested by the second Vatican council concerning Christian unity. This Encyclical letter is made up of thee chapters that have an introduction at the beginning that contains the main themes that are to be developed in the letter and an exhortation at the end.                                                                     The theme of chapter one is about Catholic Church’s commitment to Ecumenism. It starts by dealing with the theology of Ecumenism as it is found in the second Vatican council concerning God’s plan and communication. It is clearly stated that the Catholic Church bases her ecumenical commitment to gather all Christians in unity and continues to develop this ecumenical commitment onward until today. This chapter was well studied so much so that it gives the central message of the whole encyclical.                                                                                    Chapter two which deal with the fruits of the dialogue, provides an overview of where we are today in ecumenical relation. It also gives an insight on the widespread dialogues that are taking place. Like chapter one, the starting point is Vatican II. Unity with the Orthodox Church is dealt with in a more profound way. It also mentions the important visits between the pope and orthodox patriarchs. And the links with the ancient churches of the East that broke away after the council of Ephesus in 431 and Chalcedon in 451 have been established and the dialogue has already begun. So far, there is good progress in ecumenical relationships between the Roman Catholic Church and the other various churches of the reforms.                                                                                                          Chapter three of this Papal Encyclical is called Quanta est nobis via? Which is translated in English as “how is our journey?” This chapter looks ahead in order to evaluate what has been going on as well as well as some challenges that are encountered along with ecumenical dialogue. Since The Catholic Church has preserved the ministry of the successor of the Apostle Peter; it automatically gives the primacy to the bishop of Rome the service of Christian unity. The Pope finally invites church leaders and theologians to help him to exercise his ministry more effectively in the light of today’s ecumenical developments. And he concludes his encyclical letter by exhorting all Christians to ask for the power of the Holy Spirit to enable us to work for unity.

A REFLECTION ON PAPAL ENCYCLICAL DOMINUM ET VIVIFICANTEM

This Encyclical was written by Pope John Paul II in 1986 during his eight year of his pontificate. Dominum et Vivificanten is about the role of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church. The Holy Father begins his encyclical by clarifying the role of the Holy Spirit in the Church where he wrote that “the Holy Spirit is a Divine person, he is at the center of the Christian faith and is the source and dynamic power of the church's renewal". The pope explains the work of the Holy Spirit starting from the center of the history salvation, the paschal super when Jesus promised his disciples the coming of another Consoler, or the Paraclete. The Holy Spirit came after him and because of him, in order to continue in the world, through the Church, the work of the Good News of Salvation.                                                                                   Jesus departure was an imminent and necessary condition for the Holy Spirit to come. This is not the first sending of the Holy Spirit, but a new beginning in Relation to the first. The original beginning of God's Salvific and self-giving is here identified with the mystery of creation. It is a new beginning because during the first beginning, sin has already intervened and contradicted the presence of the Spirit of God in creation which also contradicted the God's salvific and self-communication to human beings. Christ however, through his redemptive action that he brought about at the price of the cross in the power of the whole Paschal mystery; “the holy Spirit comes in order to remain from the day of Pentecost onwards with the Apostles, to remain with the Church and in the Church, and through her in the world". The Holy Father emphasizes that the time of the Church began with the coming of the Holy Spirit when the Apostles were gathered in the upper Room in Jerusalem together with Mary the mother of the Lord.                                                                                                                                                                                       The Holy Father writes that, the sin is the incredulity that Jesus encountered amongst his own and the rejection of his mission; the same rejection which will later cause people to condemn him to death. Jesus did not come into the world to judge and to condemn it only but above all, to save it. He also conferred the power of forgiving sins on the apostles, and the apostles transmitted it to the Church; this same power granted to men also contains the saving action of the Holy Spirit. The unforgivable sin which Jesus talked about is a refusal to come to the sources of Redemption which the Holy Spirit has already dealt with. The Holy Father emphasizes the dangerous threat of the culture of death which is spreading rapidly in today’s world under the pretext of civilization. The signs and symptoms of death, writes the Holy Father, “have become particularly present and frequent. One has to think only of the arms race, indigence and hunger, abortion and euthanasia”.                                                                                           In spite of this depiction of death in our age however, there remain Christian assurance that the spirit blows where he wills. The new coming of Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit in our spiritual life is consummate in the sacramental reality. The Holy Father continues to write that “the most absolute sacramental expression of the departure of Christ through the mystery of the cross and resurrection is the Eucharist”. Therefore, Church continues to pray, like apostles together with Mary the mother of Christ, and those who in Jerusalem where the first seed of the Christian community were awaiting in prayer for the coming of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not stop to be the guardian of hope in the human heart, the hope of all human creatures, and especially of those who have the first fruits of the spirit and wait for the salvation of their bodies.

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The summary of the Encyclical “Deus Caritas Est”

In the introduction, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, tells us about the Love God which enables us to share it with other people. The Pope also explains in this Encyclical, different types of love in order to make us understand God’s love as well as Man’s love. He also emphasizes the role of the church in propagating God’s love as she carries on her mission.

                In part one of this encyclical, the Pope speaks of the importance of love in our lives. First, he begins by explaining the various types and meaning of love namely, “Eros”, “Philia”, and “Agape”. His holiness says that the love between man and woman is important because of its union between body and soul and shared happiness. The Greek name for this love is Eros. The divine love on the other hand which is termed as “Agape” is frequently appearing in writings as opposed to Eros which was ruling Before Christianity came. In the pre-Christian world Eros was celebrated as divine power and the fellowship with the divine. Although the Old Testament opposed this kind of religion that represents a powerful temptation against monotheistic faith; it was never eradicated completely. Human beings were treated as means to stimulate divine foolishness. It was very necessary therefore for Christianity to purify Eros in order to attain our goal that is eternity. We should not allow ourselves to be controlled by instincts. Eros can be purified through showing concern and care for others. Eros and Agape which can be looked at as ascending and descending love however, cannot be completely separated from each other. There is a unity between the two, the need between giving and receiving is so important. Before sharing love with others we must first of all receive it from the original source who is Jesus Christ who gave himself for us. The real union with our Lord becomes possible when we are united with others. The Agape therefore, became a term for the Eucharist that comes to us in body so as to continue his work in us and through us. Because of this we are also strengthened and enabled by Eucharist to continue to work like Jesus who gave himself for others through love.

                The concept of love now becomes universal. Love of neighbour automatically becomes the most important criterion for the ultimate criterion for the ultimate choice about Human life. “As you did to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me” (Matt 25:40). There is a strong bond between the love of God and love of our neighbour. Our love of God becomes very difficult and even meaningless when we are not ready to love our neighbour.

                In part two, the Holy Father is showing us the mission of the church through love where he wrote that every activity of the church is an expression of love. Every member in ecclesial community has an obligation to serve others. As a community the church is expected to practise love through charitable works as the manifestation of true love. The early Christians were practising the same love by putting in common everything they had. (2: 44-45). Today also the church is called to help those who are in need. Since both spiritual and social services were carried out in the early church; the same services ought to be carried out in today’s church in order to continue in same mission of the church of Christ. We as the church of today we are expected to imitate the apostles in the early church to do the good things for all without any segregation whatsoever. Some philosophers challenged the church that she was only carrying out charitable activity while poor people not only needed material and spiritual help but also justice. The church found it necessary therefore, to promote justice as well as charitable activities since both are equally of great importance. The second Vatican council is the best example for promoting this goodness. The church is constantly trying hard to help others and to promote the goodness of others so as to promote the betterment of all the children of God just as Jesus did. Because of this reason; every one of us responsible for feeding the hungry, clothing the necked, caring for the sick and visiting those who are in prison. By doing this, we should not take it as an obligation only but with deepest concern to fulfil. By doing this, we will experience the richness of the humanity inspired by the divine love at a larger level. We should not however, impose our faith on others through our charitable activity but whatever we do should draw them closer to Christ.

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THE SUMMARY OF THE POST-SYNODAL APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION AFRICAE MUNUS

The post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Africae Munus is composed of two parts with the following themes. First “the service to Reconciliation, justice and peace” second, “path towards reconciliation, justice and peace”. Part two has three chapters. Chapter one has as a title “the members of the church” and chapter two “Major areas of Apostolate” and Chapter three, “stand up, take your mat and walk”.

In the introduction pope Benedict XVI, now pope emeritus made a brief review of the previous and the second special Assembly for Africa by presenting its abundant fruits which contributed to the success of the Post-Synodal Apostolic exhortation Africae Munus. He also clarified the objective of Africae munus namely giving all members of the people of God, bishops, priests, permanent deacons, consecrated persons, catechists and the laity, the precious treasure of “Africa commitment to the Lord Jesus Christ”. The church in Africa should be empowered so as to become the salt of the earth and light of the world in spite of many problems that are facing Africa such as pandemic like malaria, AIDS and tuberculosis, social political, ethnic economic and ecological problem.

            In part one whose theme “see I am making all things new”, Christians are invited to follow Christ who is calling them first to reconcile with God and then to their neighbours. Love should be at the source of reconciliation, justice and peace in Africa.

In part two, we have as theme “Paths toward reconciliation”. Here Africae Munus emphasises on the sacrament of penance through which Christians encounter Jesus who is the only great and sufficient mediator. Concerning politics; Africa needs good governance of states which emerges from the respect for the constitution, free elections, and independent juridical system. Dialogue among the believers will make the objective of Africae Munus become a reality. Bishops as good pastors should proclaim the Good News to the faithful through appropriate catechesis by emphasising especially on the education of the laity.

            In chapter two whose theme is “major areas of the apostolate”, the church which is divided into dioceses, parishes, communities and movements associations of Christians is to be understood as the living and the gift of reconciliation given by Christ. Catholic universities and institutions should play a major role in the search for the truth which is above every kind of division and thus promote reconciliation in imitation of Christ. The church therefore, continues to heal the sick as well as remain loyal to its ethical pro-life defence. The use of multimedia in communication in evangelisation, reconciliation and the promotion of justice and peace should be encouraged. However, the church in Africa is also aware of harm that these channels can cause when they are not used well.

In chapter three “stand up, take up your mat and walk” Pope Benedict XVI exhorts African Christians to read the Bible every day, and become familiar with lectio divina and promote the biblical apostolate so as to enable the divine word to renew fraternal community. The church as the sacrament of union with God and man must be a place of reconciliation a gift from God given to us through Jesus Christ who is live in his church. The post-Synodal apostolic exhortation Africae Munus concludes by inviting all Christians of the entire continent to have hope, to take heart and stand up for action together with Jesus who comes to us in the love of the triune God and work for peace, reconciliation, justice and peace. Finally the Holy Father summarised his exhortation in the following “get up, church in Africa”.

Reflections on the Church - John Bosco Odongo 11041

BLOG 5: ECCLESIOLOGY, JOHN BOSCO ODONGO, CM, 11041T

Sin of Disunity and Present Day Christianity; a Principle of Catholic Ecumenism (From Class Lecture)

Today, there exists disunity among Christians hence, the relevant question to ask is; could one be right to blame it on the present day Christians? The answer is no, no Christian of the present day can be blamed for the sin of disunity that now exists among Christians of this time and age since all of these denominations are just but accident of birth or history. One finds himself or herself born a Catholic, Anglican, Pentecostal, to mention but a few. This means that when I find myself a Catholic, I actually have no reason to boast at the expense of the others who are not Catholics since it is all by the grace of God and not out of Merit.

However, all Christians are obliged to work tirelessly towards the achievement of visible unity. We may achieve a visible unity by conversion, prayer, charity and dialogue among the different Christian denominations. What is then required of each Christian now? Each Christian is to work out a way of contributing their share towards this visible unity. It follows that; Christians may have to be genuinely converted to be Christ-like. By this, gradually disunity would disappear since each person’s integral life would be guided by the values and the principles of the Gospel of Jesus Christ especially that of love, which includes love of God and love of neighbor. In addition, through prayerful life, each person will be assisted in the process of conversion and equipped with the necessary gifts that include the gift of unity in the church. The gift of unity is only granted by God to us hence the reason for us Catholics and Protestants having the week of Christian unity so that God can grant it to us in abundance. Only God knows though how long we shall take to attain Real and Perfect Unity.

Charity is yet another way of working towards visible unity.  Here we talk of Ecumenism of charity, where we create the bond of affection with leaders and members of other Church (es).Every parish priest ought to  work out a way of ensuring  that he relates well with other Christian denominations while keeping the principle; there is real communion but imperfect. He should try as much as possible to break the cycle of prejudices evident among us for the betterment of the gospel of Jesus and Evangelization among peoples. This can be done by creating healthy friendships, collaboration, and cooperation in ministry while being clear about the reality of the real and imperfect communion that exist among us. In a situation of grave danger like death, a Catholic Minister can give an Anglican Christian the Eucharist or any of the sacramentals if the Christian in question asks for it explicitly.

Ecumenical dialogue is also another significant instrument towards achieving visible unity. In this case, we ought to tell people about what we believe. For example, why we pray the rosary, venerate the saints, and celebrate feasts like, the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and so on. However, we also have to allow our listeners say what they want to say and actively listen to them and their ideas about our faith with respect and openness as they genuinely search for the Truth.

Therefore, if the above is done, we may attain the visible unity that we so yearn for among the different Christian churches and denominations. It is a high time we work together for this visible unity among Christians even if we the present day Christians may not be blamed for the current sin of disunity among Christians.

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BLOG 4:  ECCLESIOLOGY JOHN BOSCO ODONGO, CM, 11041T

The Basis for the Oneness of the Church (From class Lecture)

In the Roman Catholic Creed there is a point in time when each of us; the Catholic Christians, in the process of professing the faith says; “I believe in the one Church”. This point stands very vivid in our profession of faith. However, it is worth asking a question; what makes the church one? What really brings about this unity or communion or fellowship in the church? In the New Testament writings, the following may be discerned for the basis of the Oneness of the Church.

The Pauline letters for instance, indicate that there was oneness of the Church in the New Testament times. It is important to note that the Churches were aware from the very beginning that they were one Church belonging to Christ, even if they were not located in one physical location during the time of Paul. However, the question still remains, what then underlies their oneness? Two important conditions underlie this oneness that existed in the Church during the time of Paul. Firstly, the Gospel which Paul proclaimed, that is, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the message of faith in Jesus Christ especially that, Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. This message was based on the person of Jesus Christ. It was one of the reasons that rested at the foundation of Unity or Oneness that was in the Church by then. Another important reason to talk of is the practice of Charity between members of the churches that existed by then. Paul himself realized the importance of Charity for the keeping of Oneness of the Church and he did organize the collections to help the Judean Church which was poor by then. The intimate help given to the poor Churches was a practice of charity which helped to keep the rich and poor churches as one people of the One Lord, one faith, one Baptism as stressed in his letter to the Ephesians. Paul also emphasized the Oneness of the Church in his letter to the Galatians. For Paul, the oneness of the church could be realized and expressed in sharing of the same faith in the same gospel message which is not to be contradicted in any way or else accurse on the one who contradicted it ( Cf. Gal. 1:6-9; 2:1-10)

According to the acts 2:41-45, the basis of the Oneness of the church was; one Baptism they received, one faith, one fellowship, one Eucharist, and sharing possessions among Christians in their own life situations. We can still learn from this as members of the church today especially in our religious communities and formation houses.

In Johannine literature, the basis of the oneness of the church is Love. Our Love for God should be seen in our love of neighbor. If we cannot love our fellow humans whom we see physically, how then, can we relate genuinely with the God we don’t see physically? It is food for thought.

In the Patristic times, the Oneness of the Church was based on the One Faith, One in Sacraments, and one in ecclesiastical governance. They kept the church in status of oneness sometimes through the councils of bishops dealing with issues that could tear the church apart.

Therefore, one may conclude that the church that we now believe in is One. And this one Church acknowledges one Lord, Confesses one faith, born of one baptism, forms only one body, and is given life by the one spirit of Christ Jesus the Lord. Today, members of the church ought to follow the examples laid above for Oneness to continue existing in the present Church.

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BLOG 3; ECCLESIOLOGY, JOHN BOSCO ODONGO, CM, 11041T, 2B

The Frontiers of the People of God According to LG 13-17

It is important to ask ourselves a fundamental and deliberate question; who are the people belonging to the group we are calling; “the people of God”? And in what sense do they belong to this very important group named; “the people of God”? To respond to the above short questions, one has to take into consideration the four ways through which the belonging to the people of God can be made possible. These four ways are; full membership, imperfectly incorporated membership, defective communion membership and the membership of all people of good will. Let us discuss these four forms of membership;

Full membership of the People of God. Here the members are those who possess the faith, sacraments, juridical communion (where there exists the communion between each Bishop and the Bishop of Rome) and the spirit of Christ. Those who possess the above stated realities are considered full members of the people of God. They are indeed, fully incorporated and they belong entirely to the people of God. An example of this may be found in the Roman Catholic Church.

Imperfectly Incorporated Membership into the people of God. This form of membership has got people who belong to the people of God but imperfectly incorporated into the group because they lack communion with the Bishop of Rome. Examples of this kind of members are; the Orthodox and Oriental churches.

Defective communion membership. There are also members of the people of God with a defective Communion. They do belong to the people of God but lack valid Eucharist hence their communion with the people of God is said to be defective and a good example is the protestant communion.

All people of Good will. This is another form of membership into the group we are calling; the people of God. All the people of good will are said to belong to the people of God since they are related to the people of God. They are all those people who sincerely seek the Truth but may not believe in God. They have the tendency to do Good. A good example of this is  a man living in Austria and sponsoring some African seminarians in their formation to the priesthood in a Ugandan Major seminary of Ggaba, and yet he is a non believer, he literally says he doesn’t believe in God but he believes in helping poor humans achieve their goal in life.

Conclusively, we may say, the frontiers of the people of God has full members, imperfectly incorporated members, members in defective communion with the people of God, and all people of good will. It is therefore, important to be aware of this, so that we can always be sensitive to reading the signs of time. When we relate with our separated brothers and sisters we know how far we should go with that relationship bearing in mind that there is Real communion but imperfect. There are things we can do and there are things we cannot yet do together and this should be clear in our hearts and minds as future ministers in the vineyard of the Lord God.

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JOHN BOSCO ODONGO, CM., 11041T

TOPIC: THE VOCATION OF THE CHURCH IN AFRICA

(From: Tangaza Journal of Theology and Mission, Pages; 20-23; 31-32)

The Church in Africa is called to proclamation of Jesus Christ, his gospel ad gentes. This calls for an openness and adhesion to a person: Jesus Christ the incarnate word, who alone posses the words of eternal life (Cf. John 6:68).

Benedict XVI affirms that, an essential task of the Church is to bring the message of the Gospel to the heart of African societies, to lead people to the vision of God. The Church in Africa is called to a commitment to Evangelization, to the Missio ad gentes, and to the new evangelization. This is to enable African continent be increasingly be modeled on the ever timely teaching of Christ, the true light of the world and the Authentic salt of the earth.

With the whole Universal Church, the vocation of the Church in Africa is to evangelize. Thus, she will make a difference not only by carrying out developmental projects or by a political action but through the faith lived and shared. The Church’s Mission is not political in nature but to open the world to the religious sense by proclaiming Christ. Hence, the Church becomes a sign and safeguard of the human person’s transcendence. She must enable people seek the Supreme truth regarding their deepest identity and their questions in order to get just solutions to their problems. To this extent, the synod fathers emphasized that evangelization essentially consists in bearing witness to Christ in the power of the spirit by one’s life, then by one’s word in a spirit of openness and respectful dialogue with others, while holding fast to the Gospel values. And so by accepting Jesus, Africa can receive incomparably effective and deep healing.

Personally, I appreciate the fact that the Church in Africa; the family of God (AM 7-9) ought to focus on proclaiming Jesus Christ to the wounded world of tribalism, nepotism, corruption, and all sorts of forces of evil that dehumanizes us. Emphasis should not be exclusively put on building Church structures, parishes, residence for ministers, hospitals, formation and support of political parties, involvement in negative ethnicity at the expense of formation of conscience of members of society, services, governments based on gospel values. For it is in Jesus that, individuals in families, societies and governments will be authentic witnesses of Christ Jesus by living out the Gospel truth everyday of their lives. The teaching of Jesus Christ ought to permeate all aspects of Christian life in Africa and if possible, the world at large. Moreover, an openness and respect of dialogue will facilitate establishment and sustenance of peace, justice and reconciliation among Christians themselves, and between Christians and non-Christian religions that live in African society. So, we ought to treat each other fairly with respect. To this far, it may be worthwhile considering the act and habit of ensuring equity and equal distribution of resources in our world and Church since we are members of one family. Each of us within the Church in Africa individually and collectively,  are being called to live a life of witness to Jesus and the gospel values by our very way of life in this time and age. We can do so in classrooms, homes, religious houses, apostolic sites, small Christian Communities, markets, in vehicles when travelling and etcetera.

We may also need to consider looking at the lives of the saints and the glorious and holy Martyrs, some heroic Christians still living among us in our religious houses, homes, offices and works. Their lives actualize the message of the gospel and presents Jesus Christ fresh to us in our own human limitations and strengths, hence evangelizing us within this time and age. Let us give Jesus to the next person by our way of life dear brothers and sisters

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JOHN BOSCO ODONGO CM., 11041T

TOPIC: THE CHURCH AS GOD’S FAMILY

(From: Africa Munus 7-9)

            The Synod fathers stated that, the Church as God’s family is an expression of the Church’s nature particularly appropriate for Africa. This image stressed; care for others, solidarity, warmth in human relationships, acceptance, dialogue and trust. Consequently, Christian families in Africa are called to be domestic Churches, thereby creating awareness within the Christian communities that they belong to one single body.  This image is  not only important for the Church in Africa but for the whole Universal Church especially in the face of challenges of those who want to banish God from our lives, a thing which would lead to death of African continent which holds God as her very soul. The Church as the family of God is therefore a bearer of the Good News that every human person is a child of God. And so; her vocation is to transmit this very noble message to all humanity by proclaiming salvation won for us by Christ by celebrating our communion with God and by living in fraternal solidarity. However, the notion of the family of God, the Church, is highly challenged by Africa’s painful memory that resulted from fratricidal conflicts between ethnic groups, slave trade and colonization which still exist but in different transformed ways. This is why one may talk of marginalization of Africa. Nevertheless, hope is to be found in Jesus Christ understood in African Tradition as the Good Samaritan. Clement of Alexandria said Jesus is the only physician who took pity on us when the princes of darkness mortally wounded us by fears, lusts, passions, pains, deceits, and pleasures. We therefore, have many reasons for hope and gratitude in life.

            Personally, I think, yes, the Synod fathers are most probably realistic in what they postulated because, just as we live in our families in Africa today and probably in the past, there were (and maybe today, there are) strong communal bond in families. This was and still to some extent now, evident in times of sorrow and of joy, peace and conflict, hence, in good and bad times. A family is therefore not devoid of challenges. In fact, during challenges, like death, sickness, conflicts and so on,  people come together to find out solution to the challenge in question as members of one family. However, there would always be hope in the better future coming up with the blessings of the ancestors who would have pity on us, for they are interceding for us with the divine being in their hereafter. For this, we have reason for hope and gratitude.

            Conclusively, I find this image of the Church as family of God very meaningful to us in Africa. However, since Africans are human, I guess others within the human family find this significant in their respective situations and places as well. Moreover, life lived within the realm of Christian faith ought to be in union with God and fellow humans hence, vertical and horizontal dimensions of relationship is very relevant for Christian families today. Challenged by many scandals in the Church and previous reality of resignation of our Pope from office we in Africa and the entire Catholic Church may have to come together and support our newly elected Holy Pontiff Francis and continue to celebrate our faith in love, communion with God and fellow humans with good sense of; direction, humor, focus, care for each other, fraternal correction and, to crown it all, live with hope in  Jesus Christ and  give thanks to him(Jesus Christ) who died for us and for our salvation. We are also challenged as members of one family of God to embrace the spirit of dialogue, justice, and peace and reconciliation especially in individual hearts and collectively as members of the same family and live as one people of God.

Reflections on the Church - Victor Onegi - 11046

OGENMUNGU VICTOR ONEGI, OFM CAP, (11046T)

1. DISCIPLESHIP ROOTED IN LOVE. (Johns’ Ecclesiology Based on Class Notes)

I find it interesting to study John’s Ecclesiology. John’s ecclesiology depicts the church as a community of faithful guided by the Holy Spirit. Because the community is guided by the Holy Spirit, its members are united deeply in love. This is agape love-a love that goes beyond race or any other differences. In John’s ecclesiology, none of the church members is seen based on his race or color or religion. There is no Jew, Gentile or Samaritan. Instead the community is seen as the community of the faithful gathered together in one faith and worshiping the Lord in Spirit and Truth. They are people united in Jesus Christ.

In John’s Ecclesiology, true discipleship is grounded in absolute love of Jesus. It is the deep love for Jesus that makes a disciple to stand the test of the discipleship. This fact is evident in the life of John the beloved apostle who remained with Jesus not only during Jesus good life time but even when he was faced with situation of death. Because he loved his master much, John believed immediately without need for any proof that Jesus was alive after three days of his death, which is the resurrection day. What we see in St. John is rather the opposite of St. Peter. During the life time of Jesus, Peter does not show that he loves Jesus and this explains the reason for his three times denial of his master (Jn 18:17, 25-27). But Jesus calls peter as well to love him in order to take care of his sheep. So for John, for one to remain steadfast in discipleship, he has to love Jesus unconditionally.

Further reflection of John’s Ecclesiology that centers onto the love of God makes one ask a fundamental question: How do I know that I love God?  The answer to this fundamental question is found in John’s Christology itself; that is, the way one relates to God. One who keeps God’s commandments and walks in the ways of righteousness, works and directs others to do the same is indeed gripped by the love of God.  Such a person follows Jesus unconditionally. This is what it means to love and serve God and be gripped in the love of God.

As stated above, to be a disciple of Jesus is to love and serve him generously. In this case then, if the church is to bear witness to the world, her faithful have to be loving people and should always practice forgiveness like Jesus shown towards Peter and others such as the woman caught in adultery John 8, among others. In this way, the church will be standing on a strong foundation.

2. THE SURVIVAL OF THE CHURCH AFTER TWELVE THE APOSTLES- A reflection based on Raymond Brown “The Churches that the Apostles left Behind”.

Well, we all know that there were twelve apostles during the time of Jesus. The number twelve reduced to eleven when Judas hanged himself for having betrayed his master but this problem was immediately solved with the election of Matthias. Lk. 1:15-26. Even though the number was restored to 12, the apostles soon began to phase out most of who died due to persecution of the church. Their successors took up apostleship and missionary work.

As seen above, from among the apostles, there were those who were looked at as the chief apostles of Christ. These include Peter and of course Paul who was not among the twelve yet his apostleship was genuine and true. The third of the chief apostles is James who was known to be the bother of the Lord. The chief apostles also died by mid 60s. However, in spite of the death of the apostles by mid 60s, the church continued to survive.  So, the question that comes to mind is: how did the church survive? What made it to survive after the apostle’s death?

Raymond Brown in his book The Churches the Apostles Left Behind identifies seven different churches in the New Testament that the apostles left behind and all of them survived. Raymond brown calls them The Pauline heritage in Colossians/ Ephesians. In this Raymond looks at the church as Christ’s body that ought to be loved. The second perhaps is what he studies as  Pauline’s heritage in Like/Acts from where he studies the church from two fundamental point of view whereby in Luke, which indeed lean heavily on the Gospel of Mark, he looks at the church as that which is the fulfillment of the messianic hopes in Israel. (Luke 1.5-2:40). Consequently in Act he further looks at the church as the re-establishment of Israel. Indeed the book of Acts continues the gospel. In both, emphasis is laid on the aspect of the Spirit.

The second one is the Heritage in 1Peter in which the death of Christ is looked at as that which brought redemption to mankind. Another one is what Brown calls the Heritage of the beloved Disciples in the fourth Gospel in which St. John looks at discipleship as one that is built on love.  The remaining three churches according to Brown include The Paul’s pastoral letter to Titus and Timothy, the Gospel of Mark and then Gospel of Mathew.

In all these, one notices that the different communities want to emphasize on the church as a community by addressing a particular problem or encouraging the church members in a particular situation. So these seven churches according to Brown are not to be seen as if the churches are divided. Instead the seven churches remain united with one another and no body with proper sense can use this argument to support or suppose the division (multiplicity) of the churches in the modern era. The seven churches were one and the same thing and were governed by the Holy Spirit. In this case then in our time, we need to see communion among the different churches in the world. The universal church needs to enter into a serious dialogue with other mushrooming churches and bring them together.

3. THE CHURCH THAT IS UNITED IN THE SPIRIT: Reflection Featuring Raymond Brown as in “The Churches the Apostles left Behind”.

A lot is said about the universal church in the New Testament. New Testament provides us with the origin of the universal church. The church began with a small group of the twelve people known as the apostles who came to follow Jesus Christ.  But today the number of members of the Catholic Church about which we speak is estimated to reach 1.2 billion members. How did this come about?

In the New Testament and especially in the synoptic gospels we are told that when Jesus resurrected, he commissioned his apostles to go and proclaim his gospels to all nations (Mk16:15). Mathew puts it this way: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). Luke on the other hand asserts that the eleven are given mandate to preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in Christ’s name to all nations beginning from Jerusalem (Lk 24: 47). The synoptic gospels therefore, give us the answer to how the Christ’s followers increased in number. We also have to keep in mind that even during Jesus’ ministry he sent his apostles to go out and preach the Kingdom of God. This also yielded positive result but not as much as it was after the resurrection. With this assertion we can see how the Kingdom of God that initially was a concern of the minority people centered around Jerusalem embraced the entire Universe. Today the church is understood as one holy and apostolic in nature. It is Christ’s church built on the foundation of the twelve apostles. This is not to mean that the gospel of Jesus has reached everybody or every part of the world.

Looking at the big number of the members of the church but who are united, the question that comes to mind is: How is it possible that the church that has many members has continually remained united? What really makes them live as one family? As people of God bound together in love and destined for salvation?

St Paul gives us beautiful answer to all these questions-the power of the Spirit. For Paul, the source of unity between Christians is the Spirit: Paul says: “God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us (Rm 5:5). The unity that the Spirit brings in the church makes every church member to love one another. The church members then begin to look at one another as one people without any sort of discrimination based on color, race, gender and so forth. This is what St. Paul meant when he asserted that for the Christians “there is neither Jew nor Greek, slave or free men male nor female” (Gal 3:28). The members therefore, come to know one another from the good morals that they lead. For life in the spirit involves a more stringent and interior moral attitude which is found in the Sermon on the Mount of which the ability to live that life in conformity to the Sermon on the Mount is attributed to the indwelling of the Spirit. (Peter Hebblethwaite “Theology of the Church” Pg 29)

Besides the aspects of the spirit that unites the church, Eucharist also does the same. The members of the church come together as one family to partake of the Eucharist. In this way the church becomes one body. Indeed the aspect of the body expresses the unity in diversity of the community. Even though the individual may have different functions, all their activities lead to one end. Having said all these we conclude this part by saying the church is indeed united as one and the church is the body of Christ.

4. CHURCH AS A FAMILY BASED ON HARMONY- reflection featuring Africae Munus

Africae Munus gives priority to families because it is from families that every member of the church comes into existence. So families have to be given priority. These individuals come together from different families and form a bigger family called the Church.  It is from here that they can now worship together and express their faith as a community of faith.

As above, the fundamental aspect of family needs to be emphasized if the church is to manifest itself as one, truly apostolic. The understanding of the church as one then brings to mind the notion of forgiveness, peace and reconciliation which are the three dominant themes in Africae Munus.

Pope Benedict XVI emphasizes in Africae Munus the aspect of peace, justice and love that should prevail among brothers and sisters, the role of authority expressed by parents, loving concern for the members of society who are weaker, sickness or old age, if necessary to forgive them. For this reason, “the family is the first and indispensible teacher of peace” AM 43. This therefore, means that if we begin charity right from home we will achieve our goal to be committed to our life of witnessing to the Kingdom of God.

The same thoughts of Pope Benedict XVI is developed by Fr. McCabe in his article “An evaluation of Africae Munus in the Light of Ecclesia in Africa” as reflected in the Tangaza Journal of the Theology and Mission, 2012/1 from where he asserts that in order to effect what the pope says in Africae Munus, brothers and sisters need to recognize one another positively and welcome each other warmly. McCabe advises that such welcoming attitude should be prized as a gift that God gives to each one through the other person…and so each one should make a room for the other brother or sister. (Tangaza Journal of Theology and Mission 2012/1, 13).

With the above assertion, we realize that in Africae Munus, Pope Benedict XVI is asking the church to be united and in their unity bring fourth credible witness of life of the Gospel in the world. This can be achieved easily through prayers. It is prayer that will bind the people of God making them to realize that they have been forgiven by God and as such must forgive others as well. They have been put at peace with God and so must do the same and finally they have been reconciled with God and so must do the same to their dear ones. It is the life of prayer that will bring the essential principle of the Christian vision of life AM 45.

5. VATICAN COUNCIL II- reflection featuring GADIUM ET SPES

The term Gadium et Spes is a Latin word which simply means ‘Pastoral constitution on the church in the modern world’.

Gaudium et Spes calls the church to focus on the whole human race in a rather new and stylistic manner. The understanding of the church in Gadium et Spes in regards to human life is holistic in nature. In this document of the Second Vatican Council, the church looks forward to evangelizing the world in a new way. The evangelization targets every human being in every walk of life regardless of social, economic, cultural and religious differences.

Before doing this, the church expresses prior knowledge of people’s life situation. The contradictions of realities in the world where by in the world there are those who are poor and there are those who are rich, there are those who are powerful while others are powerless, and finally there are those who are free while others are slaves. To put it in another way the world is faced with changes in social order where industrialization and computerization has manned the world, it is faced with changes in attitudes, morals and religion whereby the once accepted values are put into questions, there are a lot of imbalances in the world today whereby we see youths in particular going their own direction a few to say. (Gadium et Spes 6, 7, 8).  So we can say that the world is troubled and perplexed so much so that everyone in this generation asks the questions about the current trends in the world and their particular place and role in the world. (Gaudium Et Spes 3).

Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the church looks forward to evangelizing the world in a new way. The church gears towards transformation of every culture, society etc by bringing into people the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ in a new way appropriate to the signs of the time. The first call the church makes is for everybody to be a brother and sister to one another. This is what it means to be the image of God in the world. Man is not created a solitary being for him to live as if he is the only one existing in the world. Living as one people answers the perplexing questions of man. His query will be clarified as they come to know that they are worth more than material things.

In doing this the church seeks to look and present Christ to the world as a new man. He is God made man out of love and for the salvation of the world. The church presents to the world Christ who suffered in order to set free humanity. This salvation therefore, must continue among men. Men must follow the footsteps of Jesus. Salvation can only be achieved through Christ.  The church in Gaudium et Spes assures the world that Christ gave life in abundance to everybody. He has made us sons in himself and this makes us cry out Abba, Father (Gadium et Spes 22)

As seen above, we can conclude by saying that, the fundamental point expressed in Gadium et Spes that makes people realize their worth and turn back to God is on communitarian aspect of life. Man should learn to live in harmony with one another without any sorts of distinction based on economic status, race, color etc. Man should aim at achieving common good rather than promote individualism. This will automatically lead to respect one another which will dictate a new era in human life.