A Relevant Church, aka a Church That Takes the Gospel Seriously

In my piece The Church Young Catholics Want, I discussed the need for the Church to take seriously the experience of the faithful.  This turned out to be one of the most debated, as well as misunderstood, points.  I am not shirking responsibility on this one.  I assumed that people were on the same page as I was, which is probably the most dangerous thing a writer can do.  I didn’t take people along on my thought process or explain the teachings of Vatican II, paving the way for misunderstanding.  What I hope to do here is to bring the teachings of the Church into this conversation, as they are essential to this discussion.

Here’s why I think it is dangerous for the Church to render itself irrelevant:

-The Gospel is Always Relevant.  The Gospel always has something to speak to culture.  If the Church is irrelevant, that means the Church has strayed from the Gospel.  There may be some who think it is impossible for the Church to stray from the Gospel.  Given that the Church is made up of humans, there remains a possibility that we prioritize issues over the Gospel.  The Gospel needs to remain at the forefront of our work as a Church.  As long as we do this, the Church will be on the right track.

-Gaudium Et Spes, The Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World.*  Gaudium et Spes is unequivocal in its call for the Church to engage the world.  Simply reading the first few sections brings this to light (but read the whole thing.  It’s excellent, really).  Here are some of the passages that bring this home.

The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. GeS 1

 THE OPENING LINE!  Is there anything more beautiful?! 

Hence, giving witness and voice to the faith of the whole people of God gathered together by Christ, this council can provide no more eloquent proof of its solidarity with, as well as its respect and love for the entire human family with which it is bound up, than by engaging with it in conversation about these various problems. GeS 3

I love that this calls for conversation.  Engaging with the world is crucial.

To carry out such a task, the Church has always had the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times and of interpreting them in the light of the Gospel. Thus, in language intelligible to each generation, she can respond to the perennial questions which men ask about this present life and the life to come, and about the relationship of the one to the other. GeS 4

I swear, this is one of the most incredible statements I’ve ever read.  Bravo, Second Vatican Council, Bravo.

Gaudium et Spes demands that we read the signs of the times and respond accordingly.  It calls the Church to take human experience seriously.  In taking experience seriously, we are not necessarily validating what is out there, though that obviously can happen.  Rather, the aim is to look at culture through the lens of the Gospel and respond accordingly.  We need to critically engage the world.  This is not only what many of the Catholic faithful are yearning for, it is also what the Church is calling us to do.

Seeking a relevant Church does not mean throwing out the Roman Catholic Church and rebuilding from scratch to create a trendy gathering that tells people what they want to hear.  It does not mean striving to be cool above all else, or even at all.  It’s quite the opposite in fact.  It means using things like tradition, scripture, social sciences, prayer and community to thoughtfully engage the world.  From this context, the Church can speak powerfully to what’s going on in the world.  At our best, the Church does this and does it well.  And there are countless examples of this, ranging from encyclicals to letters on war to the everyday lived experiences of parishes and the faithful.  By engaging with the world, the Church is able to speak truth to the world and preach the Gospel in unique ways that resonate with people, thus building rather than dividing the Body of Christ.

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*For those want a little background, Gaudium et Spes was the final document of Vatican II.  It is the Pastoral Constitution of the Church in the Modern World.  The title translates to “joy and hope,” which is the first phrase of the document.  It was approved by a vote of 2307 to 75 and promulgated on December 7, 1965 by Pope Paul VI.