John Paul Brodeur Saturday, May 1, 2010 Final Exam A Living Spirituality for Today: Nursed by Holy Mother

Church Now a decade into the 21st century, Christians find themselves in a world they could never have imagined or anticipated a millennium ago: a world brought together under inconceivable advances in technology; the cultural integration of previously isolated ethnicities; a Christian world fragmented into numberless denominations; a society which idealizes pluralism and moral relativism. The age of Christendom is over, and there is little hope of its return. The time of unity has given way to an age of diversity. What does an authentic Catholic spirituality look like in such a world? How does one find union with God in the midst of a culture which is so materialistic and so hopelessly absorbed in its quest for individual selfenjoyment and endless change? His only hope lies outside of him, in a selfless commitment to and identification with the universal and immaterial Mystical Body of Christ, the Catholic Church. It is of utmost importance that a Christian in todays world searches for God in the unchanging, the immaterial, and the universal. However, it is equally important that his search be simultaneously grounded in some sort of physical reality in order that he identify with something he is not individually responsible for. He finds this in the Catholic Church expressly in its hierarchical structure, its unchanging dogmas, and its sacramental practices. Here in the Church, the self-interested tendencies are slowly undone, freeing the Christian and enabling him to approach God without the cultural expectations which he has been indoctrinated with.

Page | 1

First, his adherence to Holy Mother Church respects and appreciates the unity which the hierarchy affords her: the cohesion which would be impossible without bishops, priests, and most especially the Roman Pontiff. Here, the faithful Christian takes solace in the very thing which Luther once lamented, because he recognizes the importance of subjecting his will to keep from selfishness, division, and misdirection. Secondly, he embraces the dogmatic teachings of the Church and the truths of revelation with certain and ready faith, subjecting his intellect, otherwise prone to opinions and falsehood, to the same end as his will. Like the martyrs of the Early Church, he must remain resolute in his Faith. Although he is not to actively seek out such a trial, as some have in the past, he should have the same inner sense of conviction. This conviction ought to be strengthened by a constant broadening of his awareness of the deposit of faith to the degree which he is able to learn. This is achieved by continuing catechesis. Like St. Francis, St. Clare, and all good Catholics who lived during the Vita Apostolica, he ought to have a real familiarity with Scripture as he learns the deposit of Faith. He need not be overwhelmed by the enormity of the task; rather, he ought to abandon it to God and trust that a true spiritual sense will guide him in discerning what he ought to read next. Like Caussade repeatedly affirms, he can rest secure in this abandonment as long as he persists in the task of studying the Church documents. Third and finally, the faithful Christian engages the sacramental life of the Church with great frequency and with increasing affection. Here, particularly in the sacrament of the Eucharist, he finds the union most explicitly revealed to him. There, in the reception of the sacraments, he experiences a strengthening of the Divine Life within. In Baptism, he is given this Divine Life for the first time; he is remade and truly becomes a member of Christs Mystical Body by which he is joined to Christ, the head. If he falls into any grievous sin, the Sacrament

Page | 2

of Reconciliation re-establishes the Divine Life within by restoring the sanctifying grace he was gifted with at Baptism. In the reception of Holy Communion, he experiences a most profound and mysterious union with all the rest of Christs faithful: a union of grace inexplicably bound to the indwelling Trinity which all the faithful share. In this sacrament especially, he encounters a unity which contradicts and transcends everything which the world stands for: this unchanging, immaterial and universal union of Divine Life in all Christs faithful spurs him on to a further participation in that Divine Life by charitable acts of service toward his brothers and sisters in Christ, especially the poor and the marginalized, just as Dorothy Day would expect. He turns not to isolation in order to find God, as did the Desert Fathers long ago, but with confidence in the Lords indwelling presence he exercises charity in all his endeavors. Each and every action, both those of daily life and those which he gratuitously takes upon himself, become spiritual exercises of service toward his fellow man. In this he experiences the full power of his universal priesthood which he has by merit of his baptism the Divine Life within. As a true priest united with Christ, the High Priest, he offers the sacrifice of his time, talent, and treasure his very life to help transform the world around him. Like Kathleen Norris, he sees his priestly potential when he acts in Christ, as a true member of His Mystical Body. Like Luther, he understands that he is part of universal call to minister. This ministry is enacted by the sacrificial offering of his life for the good of others: not by harsh ascetical practices like the Desert Fathers subjected themselves to, nor by unhealthy penances which many in the Vita Apostolica underwent, but in the simple selflessness which is lived out in the sacrament of the present moment as daily life requires it. His service extends beyond corporeal needs. His heart, rich in affection for Christ, grieves that many have abandoned the Divine Life they inherited at their Baptism. It grieves also

Page | 3

for those who have never known this union with God which he has, and this same union spurs him on to evangelize with gentleness and compassion. The faithful Christian recognizes the inherent dignity of each person in their eternal destiny: that they were made to be with God also. He sees no longer with mere corporeal eyes, but with spiritual eyes, eyes enlivened with the Divine Life. He does not remove himself from the sacramental life as Simone Weil did in order to reach them, but trusts that the Lords charity can reach them in ways he alone cannot. This, then, is what a 21st century Catholic spirituality looks like. It is as universal as the Church because it can be practiced by all its members. The union of Faith in the intellect, Love in the Will, and Divine Life in the soul by the reception of the sacraments stands as a formidable sign of hope in the face of such misguided cultural tendencies. It is a simple grace-saturated lifestyle in which frequent reception of the sacraments and adherence to Holy Mother Church promises great reward.

Page | 4