|
REFLECTION
ON THE BODY OF CHRIST
Joseph F. O’Callaghan
September 8, 2005
[This reflection on
three scripture passages (Acts 1:21-26; 1 Timothy 3:1-7; and 1 Corinthians
12:12-14, 20-31) was presented to the members of Voice of the Faithful
in the Diocese of Bridgeport as part of a prayer service calling on the
Holy Spirit to guide us as we begin to develop a process for the election
of a bishop should a vacancy occur.]
The Upper Room. Let
us put aside all distracting thoughts for the moment and try to place ourselves
in the upper room. Gathered there are the eleven apostles, some women, Mary,
the mother of Jesus, and his brothers, in all about 120 persons. Let’s include
ourselves among the 120. We have just witnessed the ascension of Jesus into
heaven and are now left on our own to “be his witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout
Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).
The Election of Matthias. One
of our first concerns is to provide for the leadership of our fledgling community
by selecting someone to replace the traitor Judas as one of the twelve. We
believe that the twelve symbolize the twelve tribes of Israel. The absence
of one seems to disturb the proper order. We want someone who has been with
Jesus from the beginning and who has witnessed his resurrection.
We nominate two men. How
did we do that? Did one of you propose Matthias and someone else Barabbas?
Before proceeding further, we pray, asking God to tell us which of the two
God has chosen. Then we cast lots. Did we throw dice, draw straws, or names
out of a hat? However we did it, we made a choice; we elected Matthias, but
we recognized that he was God’s choice. In the later ritual for the making
of a bishop the same procedure of calling on God for guidance would be followed
and the one elected was believed to be God’s candidate.
Matthias was then counted
as one of the twelve. Perhaps the apostles laid hands on him, as they did
later with the seven deacons chosen by the community to attend to the needs
of the Greek widows (Acts 6:1-6). The laying on of hands also became part
of the liturgy of episcopal ordination.
The Qualities of a
Bishop in First Timothy. Now let’s jump ahead nearly a whole generation.
By now our numbers have increased and there are small communities or churches
in different cities. The first letter to Timothy, attributed to St. Paul,
tells us something about the kind of leaders our community should have.
Our ideal bishop is esteemed both within the Christian community and without.
He is honorable and upright, not given to the vices of drunkenness or greed,
not abusive, arrogant or contentious. Rather he is gentle and has the ability
to instruct us in the teachings of Jesus and the practice of the Christian
life.
Above all our bishop is
a family man. He is a married man with children. He is responsible for the
good behavior of himself, his wife, and children, and any servants or other
dependents living with him. He is expected to be able to control his children.
Does that mean browbeating them? No, it means that he teaches them by word
and example to conduct themselves as followers of Christ. His leadership
of the community is likened to his management of his own household. How can
a man who cannot lead his own family in an upright manner possibly lead the
Church? If he governs his own household with goodness, kindness, and justice
so as to gain the admiration of his neighbors, he will likely lead the Church
in the same way.
In later times when the
Church attempted to describe the qualities appropriate to a bishop, she turned
to the First Letter to Timothy. Two points in this reading were cited specifically
in conciliar legislation. First, the bishop could be married only once, and
a widowed bishop was forbidden to marry again. Secondly, no one who was a
recent convert to Christianity was allowed to become a bishop; there was
a sense that no matter how wise and intelligent he might be, he ought to
live the Christian life for some time before aspiring to the office of bishop.
These principles were incorporated into Church law.
The Election of Benedict
XVI. Let’s leap over the centuries now to our own time. Let’s place
ourselves in a new setting, in St. Peter’s Square in April 2005. We’ve
witnessed the funeral of John Paul II and we are now preparing for the
election of his successor. We watch the cardinals vested in brilliant red
robes march into the Sistine Chapel to elect a bishop of Rome. Like thousands
of others, including the international media, we stand outside wondering
what is happening within. Occasionally there are puffs of smoke from the
chimney but there is confusion as to what they mean. Eventually white smoke
appears and soon after the window of the papal apartment opens. A cardinal
announces “habemus papam” and presents Benedict XVI to us.
A day or so later we again
gather in St. Peter’s Square for the consecration of the new pope. The liturgy
is very elaborate and very moving. Look at the thousands of men and women
and children about you. Then look up toward the façade of the basilica. What
do you see? A sea of red and purple garments worn by the cardinals and bishops.
You look hard to find someone who is not a cleric in that privileged sanctuary.
Is there a layman or a laywoman there? Perhaps one or two.
Between the selection
of Matthias and the election of Benedict XVI there is a long history. In
the early centuries the clergy and people of the diocese freely elected their
bishop, considered as a successor to the apostles. That electoral tradition
was sanctioned by Church Councils and repeatedly affirmed by the popes. Sadly,
over time both clergy and people were eliminated from any role in the process.
The election of Benedict XVI was carried out in total secrecy by a body of
men who can scarcely be said to represent the clergy of the city of Rome,
to say nothing of the people of Rome. We cannot say that we witnessed the
election. We didn’t. We heard about the outcome when we were told, “habemus
papam.”
Re-Membering a Dis-Membered
Church. My favorite image of the Church is St. Paul’s description of
Christ’s Body. Christ’s Body, the Church, he tells us, is composed of many
members, whose individual gifts are essential to the unity and health of
the whole. Although St. Paul emphasized that one part of the Body cannot
say to another, “I do not need you,” that is exactly what has happened.
The history of episcopal elections is marked by a progressive dismissal
of various elements considered unnecessary by the hierarchy. The uneducated
were told, “we do not need you;” women were told, “we do not need you.” Then
the laity in general and the rank of file of priests and deacons were told, “we
do not need you.” The exclusion of all these members of Christ’s Body has
led many to wrongly identify the Church with the hierarchy. The rest of
us have been cast aside, cut off, disenfranchised, dis-membered, as Francine
Cardman so eloquently put it. The Body of Christ has been mutilated.
The restoration to the
clergy and people of their baptismal right to elect their own bishops is
a necessary step toward re-membering our dis-membered Church. By taking that
step we will be helping to make the Body of Christ healthy, whole and entire
once again.
Now let us pray. O God,
source of life and wisdom, guide us by your grace on this journey of restoration
as we aspire to renew the pristine beauty of your Church. Amen
|
