When in Rome…

There is an oasis in the city of Rome, a quiet place amid the constant noise, a refuge for lay ecclesial ministers and other lay students in the ecclesiastical capital of the western Church. It is the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas, housed in the sprawling Passionist Monastery of Sts. John and Paul, on one of the famous Seven Hills of Rome, Monte Celio.

The largest private gardens in the Eternal City are now home to Rome’s only college for lay Catholics, ecumenical and interreligious students. (In Rome, a college is a residence for students, as opposed to the Universities where the studying happens).

Passionist Monastery of Sts. John and Paul, home of the Lay Centre at Foyer Unitas

Twenty-0ne residents from thirteen countries call the Lay Centre home during the current academic year. Throughout that time, ongoing formation programs are offered for anyone in Rome, featuring professors from the pontifical universities and staff of the Roman Curia. During the summers, the Lay Centre hosts a number of conferences and programs, including the only annual program on Lay Ecclesial Ministry in Rome.

Founded in 1986 by Dr. Donna Orsuto and Ms. Reikie van Velzen, the Lay Centre has its roots in the Foyer Unitas, which was the house of hospitality for non-Catholic visitors to Rome, located just off of Piazza Navonna. Foyer Unitas was founded in 1952 by a small Dutch order, the Ladies of Bethany, with the encouragement of one Monsignor Montini (later Paul VI). After Foyer Unitas closed its doors in 1992, the Lay Center at Foyer Unitas continued the tradition of hospitality, dialogue, formation and intentional community.

An intentional Catholic community with a commitment to living ecumenical and interreligious dialogue, current residents are Muslim, Greek and Serbian Orthodox, Anglican and Catholic. A holistic formation program addressing the human, spiritual, intellectual, and pastoral dimensions of formation was developed by Professora Orsuto and Archbishop Michael Miller, CSB, then secretary of the Congregation for Christian Education. Residents sit down for a community meal each evening during the week, followed by Compline (in Italian). A community night each Wednesday begins with the celebration of the Eucharist with a guest presider, who then offers a short program during and after dinner. Several other opportunities to plumb the depths of the City’s treasures present themselves throughout the year, including the regular Vincent Pallotti and Oasis in the City programs.

For any minister visiting Rome, the hospitality of the Lay Centre is a treat not to be missed, with the opportunity for meeting an international and interreligious mix of pontifical students not found anywhere else in Rome. For any student planning to study at the pontifical universities and institutes, there is no better place to call home.

 

Help promote Lay Ministry Sunday in your parish or diocese

As we look toward fall, we also want to look back to late August and a celebration of Lay Ministry Sunday in the Diocese or Raleigh, NC. Bishop Burbidge has done great work there in promoting a specific day in the life of the diocese to celebrate the gifts of people called to lay ecclesial ministry.

Take some time to look at the diocese’s resource page at:

http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/how/lay/layminsunday.aspx

to get some ideas that may inspire you to begin helping your parish or diocese to think about a similar Lay Ministry Sunday. 

Also, be sure to visit

http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/news/view.aspx?id=622

where you can follow links to read or view Bishop Burbidge’s homily for the day.

With these good examples and resources, we can continue to promote liturgical ways of recognizing the giftedness of lay ministers to our church communities – and in so doing, respond to one of the desires of the USCCB’s document, “Co-Workers in the Vineyard of the Lord.”

You can also find quick links to these items on our NALM facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Washington-DC/National-Association-for-Lay-Ministry-NALM/25560197014

Be sure to take some time to share these links on your own facebook profiles as well!

Peace and Fall Blessings!

NALM National Conference 2009 in Pictures

We installed the wordpress flickr widget to the blog. The first entries: pictures from the NALM National Conference in St. Paul this past month.Thanks to Chris Anderson and Cathy Melesky-Dante for contributing their pictures to my own to create this flickr slide show of the sights of the 2009 NALM Conference!  If you would rather see all the pictures as a slide show via URL go here. (Haven’t figured out how to embed the slide show so it works here yet :0\

Liveblogging the NALM Conference – St. Paul, MN – “Ministry 2.0: Integrating Online Education and Web 2.0 Technologies into Lay Ministry Formation

Dr. Charlotte McCorquodale – “Ministry Formation 2.0: Online Education and Web 2.0 Technologies into Lay Ministry Formation

 

Charlotte recognizes that technology, for better or for worse, is a part of our world. It must therefore be part of our ministry preparation.

 

Using the image of shifts in music technology, we see that shifts in technology have led us to:

New formats

Large storage

Easier to use

More mobile

 

All of us have made the transition from record player to ipod.

 

In web work, there are multiple levels of technology that are interlaced into what has become known as “Web 2.0”. This refers to the increasingly interactive and engagement potential of the internet. 

Web 1.0 tended to be more content-centered. Web 2.0 tends to be more user-centered.

 

Refer to “What is Web 2.0? Ideas, technologies, and implications for education.” The idea that a new ‘social fabric’ is being constructed before our eyes.

 

http://www.jisc.ac.uk/publications/documents/twweb2.aspx  is the link for the article

 

Web 2.0 is often seen as a “harnessing of collective intelligence.” It will fundamentally change the way we live and relate to one another.

 

Focus around areas of contribution, collaboration and community (the three “c”’s).  These are fundamental categories for our ministry in our day to day interactions.  Now the web has caught up to us!

 

Other key ideas of Web 2.0:

 

1)      Individual production of User Generated Content

2)      Harnessing the power of large groups and organized persons

3)      Data available on an epic scale

4)      Architecture of participation – systems are created to make participation possible

5)      Network effects

6)      Need for openness with technology – a key example is the sharing of the iPhone platform so that new applications could be created

 

Disinction between “digital natives” and “digital immigrants”:

 

See research articles on Generations Online:

http://www.pewinternet.org/topics/generations.aspx

 

Digital natives tend to look at tech and ask “what will it do for me?”

 

(My comment: Charlotte didn’t mention this but this reality touches upon the possibility of a self-centered and individualistic use of technology, which is a real threat to the values we approach in ministry formation. We need to be attentive to this attitude and articulate a coherent theologically grounded response to the use of technology in a way that indicates a way to emphasize the use of tech for the “common good” and the building up of relationships.)

 

Why blog? Why Wiki? It provides information to many people for free.

 

This is a challenge, as Charlotte noted, for publishers and educators.  Much of this content is now available for free and so more traditional forms need to develop new styles of presenting their information.

 

Information literarcy is required more than ever to sort through good and bad info on the web.

 

We are living into best practices for this approach to formation, so part of it is struggling with the technology.

 

Issues of diocesan restrictions on facebook and social networking related to child protection were raised as a challenging issue.  However, like it or not, children are creating facebook pages with organizational attachments  and it is happening even if not blessed by the institutional church.

 

(I’ll also mention that many social networking sites give people the ability to control their “brand”; if there is a need to work with others to organize organizational branding on social networks better, many social networking sites provide help for you to do this, but you do need to prove you are who you say you are.)

 

A final thought from me: This is an area in great need of theological, pastoral, and spiritual research and development. If we don’t get this work right, I believe the Catholic Church will continue to become more marginalized that it has already become in society without finding a way to navigate these waters. 

 

So we have a lot to do.  How can we go forward?

 

Also, NALM is forming a web 2.0 committee. Those interested can contact me and I’ll be happy to talk with you more.

Liveblogging the NALM Conference – St. Paul, MN – “You Are the Potter, We Are the Clay”

Dr. Zeni Fox – “You are the Potter, We are the Clay”

 

Reflections on Co-Workers document and the State of the Questions that preceeded it.

 

The theology of lay ecclesial ministry as a key part of the document. Simply presented, it is nonetheless powerful and important. Life of believer as call and response from and to God is the foundational presentation.

 

God calls us into existence. God’s ongoing call holds us in being. Without it, its not that we would die, we would not “be.”

 

God calls us to solidarity not just with those living now, but with all those who have ever lived – communion of saints, “mystical” body of Christ. Moving into a global society, solidarity is essential for authentic spirituality that means something to people today.

 

Today images of our brothers and sisters are brought quite easily into our homes, and hopefully into our hearts.  (I wonder though, if the technology leads to oversaturation and desensitization at times.)

 

Humility is a core element of our spirituality – true humility, knowing who we are, with limitations, but also with our gifts.

 

Co-Workers calls us to an awareness of sin, but we also need to be attentive to a more holistic self-assessment. It is also more consonant with the realities of people’s religious needs in this time and place.

 

It also notes that all the baptized are responsible for living out their call as baptized persons. This statement indicates the change that is still unfolding after decades, but we still do not live the totality of this vision throughout the church.  (I wish she would have spent more time talking about the reasons for this, and why there is resistance.)

 

The document invites ongoing conversion – the call to “transformation.”

 

There is also a sense of call highlighted by the document in the call to lay ministry itself. The earlier State of the Questions text noted this as a sense of “vocation.” Co-Workers does not use this term. 

 

Over the decades of development, there was an initial sense that there was no path, but there was a call.  Quoting Newman’s Lead Kindly Light, Zeni points out the importance of  “one small step” as a response to the call.  This is often the best one can do in a dark time when lay ministry pathways are not clear.

 

She recognizes that this process is, in fact, a spiritual struggle. (I think there are many biblical images that can serve as a good reference for this.)

 

She notes connections between the spirituality theologian John Shea and Co-Workers. Ritual practices (traditional and contemporary) are used by the Co-Workers text to demonstrate how spirituality of lay ministers are shaped, drawing upon the initial founding experience of the reality of the Gospel at work in one’s life.

 

Shea makes a more focused claim that the experience of the Gospel is primary and the ritual practices are somewhat secondary.  The focus should not be on “private prayers not said” but on how “one is making the Gospel real in one’s own life.”

 

 

Is there a unique lay ministry spirituality? Zeni thinks not. She thinks we share the spirituality of the human experience, related to the particular Christian reality of understanding of the Gospel.

 

There is a difference between “canonical” lay persons (vowed religious) and “lay lay persons.” The language is not well developed. She is focusing on the latter.

 

State of the Question see the secular character of the lay person as “being the church in the heart of the world.” Co-Workers refers to the “holiness of the ordinary”.  However, both seem to overstate the sacred-secular distinction, which makes less sense theologically in light of the incarnation.

 

If in the history of the church most ministers have lived in rectories, convents, and monasteries, what does it mean now that lay ministers live in the heart of the world?

1)      Family commitments and ministry involvement can be seen as antagonistic or as related.

2)      We bring the church to the heart of the world, but also bring the world to the heart of the church.

We cannot be totally immersed in ministry at all times. – “Ministerial promiscuity” according to the Whiteheads.

 

A holistic spirituality prevents people from falling into this temptation.  Those who are single may have a particular need to develop structures in their own lives to avoid this, since they have no family to re-focus commitments.

 

The realities of our lives shape our spirituality and create a spirituality that is proper to us as ministers.  This is NOT a lay ecclesial minister spirituality, but really informs the spirituality of all lay people.  It is not a separate spirituality from the rest of the laity.

 

An examen on collaboration:

1. Single most important ingredient: communication
2. Working on shared tasks, allowing collaboration to grow organically
3. Mutual trust

Thus building efforts at communication, developing approaches to shared tasks and fostering mutual trust are essential for communion based view of collaboration.  These are building blocks of a spirituality of collaboration and can form an examen on collaboration.

 

Lay ministers cannot create collaboration “alone” or even collectively.  It requires the efforts of clergy, bishops, etc.

 

Loving the church is a necessary part of the spirituality of lay ecclesial ministry if we are to be effective ministers of the church.

 

Some poignant comments about Zeni’s own positive love of the church in her earlier years and suffering that has occurred more recently, both in her own life and the lives of those she has encountered. These latter experiences can also be part of a real adult love of the church, in that it informs how we can grow into this adult love, which is not always passive or submissive.

 

Zeni identifies the importance of “knowing the bishops” face to face and getting to know them better, suggesting prayer, places of exchange. NALM itself can be an important vehicle of communication between bishops and lay people.  (This is certainly a very important point.)

 

We do not need to approve or agree with others; but need to forgive them if they are destructive.

 

One aspect of our spirituality not addressed in either of the documents on lay ministry mentioned is the reality of power.  Rollo May says “Power is a possibility; the ability to promote or inhibit change.” It is integral to our humanity. The question is how often is my use of power destructive or “nutriative” – an integral use of power. Another question is how do we perceive power in relation to collaboration? If we think we have no power, we are dependent and submissive.  If we perceive the other as having no power, domineering or paternalistic, or controlling.  Only if I perceive both as having power is collaboration possible.  And, as Christians, we understand our power as coming from the Holy Spirit.

 

There is a great need for leaders to reflect on their own power. Power is not something I have earned, but is the gift of the Spirit. (This is a great reflection in light of Pentecost coming this weekend!)  

 

Some of my thoughts:

 

A real question for ongoing discernment is whether Zeni actually is correct in her assessment that lay ecclesial minister spirituality is simply an extension of lay spirituality. I tend to agree, but think that lay ecclesial ministers are also shaped by different aspects of the church and formation that not all lay people experience. How would these unique experiences contribute to lay ecclesial ministry?

 

A more challenging aspect of her talk for me is that she did not emphasize the fact that while we must forgive those who are destructive of the work of lay ministers and collaboration, there must also be a dimension of our spirituality that is prophetic and says, as the African-American spiritual says, “I’m gonna stand!” Now, one can stand in forgiveness, but sometimes we must “stand” nonetheless. Her presentation on power may suggest a beginning of this.

Liveblogging the NALM Conference – St. Paul, MN – “Growing Stronger as Leaders in Changing Times”

This afternoon breakout was offered by John Reid, former chair of NALM and founder of the Reid Group, which does church consulting and mediation.  Check them out at www.thereidgroup.biz

A focus on understand the process of change as “see, feel, change” rather than “think, act, change” was the foundation of John’s talk, along with a deep appreciation of the personal dimension of how change affects everyone differently.  Asking the participants to identify themselves on a “change continnum” between “settlers” and “pioneers” was a helpful exercise in helping us articulate our own awareness of change and how that can change depending on a variety of factors, some personal, some environmental.

He emphasized that while many churches can deal (at least rituall) with the reality of endings (symbolized by Holy Thursday / Good Friday) and new beginnings (symbolized by Easter), we are not good with the Wilderness (Holy Saturday.

Another key point that John offered was a focus the importance of not believing the Borg from Star Trek (“Resistance if futile” – as a Trek fan I appreciated this reference!) but to realize resistance can be good, is inevitable in any change situation at some level, and can be a place of deep learning about others and their responses to change and how we can respond to them in pastoral and life giving ways that can allow people to more readily embrace the inevitable change that is a part of life today and a part of the church especially.

Very helpful references and points throughout, though the experience left me wondering what one does when one is committed theologically and pastorally to change in our local or larger church, and are often frustrated in efforts to see even the smallest changes recognized as necessary or done. It would be great to hear others’ comments on this.

Liveblogging the NALM Conference – St. Paul, MN – NALM Business Luncheon

Many significant details were discussed at the NALM lunch over some delicious steak and potatoes!

The salient bits:

NALM has had a busy and successful 2008, and has finished in the black.  We are grateful to the Lily Foundation’s $1 million grant for continuing work on the Emerging Models of Pastoral Leadership project. (More at www.emergingmodels.org)

The emphasis and encouragement was on NALM members to be the shapers of the work of NALM through involvement in our committees. 

NALM Executive Director Chris Anderson pointed out the new and improved job bank at www.nalm.org, in the members section.  Check it out! He also noted the important progress with the National Standards Coalition as NALM and its partners move forward to re-work these standards to reflect the framework articulated in Co-Workers in the Vineyard, the 2005 document on lay ecclesial ministry from the USCCB. (Check out www.co-workers.org for more info on that document and related resources).  The hope is that the standards will be in final form and approved by 2011.

Overall, one gets the real sense there is positive growth and can-do spirit, as new members of the Board of Directors for NALM were added and others re-affirmed their work in a blessing ritual that concluded the lunch!

Liveblogging the NALM Conference – St. Paul, MN – “Supporting Ministers in Transition – From Graduate Studies to the First Ministry Position”

Genevieve L. Mougey and Dr. Barbara Sutton – “Supporting Ministers in Transition – From Graduate Studies to the First Ministry Position 

This was from breakout session 1 on Thursday morning. Others are welcome to comment to post their experiences of other workshops

 

Lilly Foundation has given money to Protestant churches to study students in transition. Reference to study of Protestant churches in transition have pointed out major problems – burnout, diminished self-esteem, inadequate preparation felt, increased emotional exhaustion, decreased sense of personal accomplishment. 

 

These point to a great need for all ministers in transition, not just young ministers.  We need to move from analyzing to developing an approach to a solution.

 

St. John’s School of Theology/Seminary has worked on sustaining its alumns through this transition process. They established a list of goals as a result of a survey and other studies.  They related circumstances to other professional organizations (teachers, etc.). A professional winnowing of the field down for a more comrepehnsive qualitative study followed.

 

A book called God’s Potters relates our experience with lay ecclesial ministries with Protestant ministers experience.

 

The Co-Workers document  on lay ecclesial ministry identifies the four areas of formation – human, spiritual, professional, theological.

 

They asked – what strengthened good ministerial practices?:

1)      Good supervisors

2)      Adequate budget for continuing education – conferences, classes, diocesan / regional events

3)      Self-discipline

4)      Defined accountability

5)      Creativity in self-care and a supportive environment for self-care

6)      Balanced workloads

7)      Overall moderation

8)      Self-knowledge

 

They also asked –what hindered transition and good ministry?:

1)      Excessive job expectations

2)      Workaholism from coworkers – projected onto them

3)      Lack of clear understanding of comp time and time for rest / “Sabbath”

4)      Poor supervision

5)      Poor pay

6)      Long commutes

7)      Financial insecurity of workplace

8)      Culture of fear and scarcity

9)      Lack of good stewardship of time, talent, treasure

10)   Lack of understanding of personal situations and crises – and responding to those in ministry – a sense of not being ready to do what was asked of them by the people they ministered to

11)   Lack of family and health policies

12)   Inadequate staffing

13)   False humility – lack of ability to express one’s own needs

14)   Not being listened to or taken seriously

 

 

An image to approach this – the road to Emmaus story – “lost on the road,” not recognizing Jesus, no supportive community of faith

 

Some things the alumns suggested:

 

1)      Ministry placement and discernment of gifts and best placement possibilities

2)      “Just be honest” about the difficulties

3)      Training about “what to ask” what to look for in a ministry placement interview

4)      How does lay ministry fit in a particular ministry situation and how to claim their authority

5)      How is a lay ecclesial minister welcomed into the setting of the parish

6)      How to diminish competitive spirit among lay ecclesial ministers

7)      Form in the spirit of ecclesial building not “ecclesial dismantling” – a strong knowledge base can cause people to come to a ministry situation to take things apart rather than build from what is

8)      Navigating power dynamics of local church

9)      What ministerial environment supports transformational leadership

 

 

The goals which emerged from the sharing and discussion and study:

 

1)      How to prep grads

2)      Identify human and spiritual components

3)      Create a process of discernment based on personal development

4)      Develop feedback opportunities and develop response to it

 

Our group process of exploring our first ministry experience raised some very interesting experience and very diverse. Experiences of being lonely, supported, uncertain, flexible, “Maytag repair man,” lack of self-confidence, step-by-step, whirlwinded.

 

Self-assessment of ministerial identity at graduation from folks in the study had strong sense of being supported by overworked as high percentages of respondants (couldn’t get the full list). 

 

A comparison study between graduation and current ministry indicated that positive development occurred in living into their role of lay ecclesial ministers. Barbara pointed out what seems obvious but is very important – this takes TIME!

 

Personal development issues that were raised had to do with life outside work / ministry, and developing sustaining friendships outside work and spiritual practices.

 

Health / spiritual practices are generally strong. 

 

Days off – many lay ministers reported two day off per week, among full time ministers

 

Highest most influential activities in formation while in school:

1)      CPE

2)      Theological reflection on practice of ministry

The reasons many no longer do this is because of lack of trust in being vulnerable even among peer groups.

 

Conflict areas reported: The highest reported area was NOT conflict with pastor. The highest was styles of pastoral leadership and expectations beyond job descriptions, as well as getting people to think outside the box, and changing a program.

 

Employee evaluation:  Low number of annual evaluation and some as needed.  This suggests a need for a site supervisor.

 

Academic preparation was rated very high and seen as effective for ministry – the combination of theory and practice.

 

The importance of relating stories from people’s ministry experience,  impact on family, and job search preparation were touched upon as the presentation concluded.  These are major areas for development to assist graduates in the transition process.

 

It is obvious to me from the presenters that this is a major, major issue for lay ecclesial ministry.  St. John’s approach to identifying the issues is solid and a good model for other Catholic theologates /schools of ministry to draw from and develop their own possible responses.

Liveblogging the NALM Conference – St. Paul, MN – “The Bible in Parish Catechesis”

Dr. Charles Bobetz – “The Bible in Parish Catechesis and Formation: Where We Are and How We Got Here

 

These are my (unedited) notes from this very dynamic presentation – certainly a conference highlight! I’ve included a few of my own comments in line (after all it’s me doing the blogging!)

 

A great story about conversion to Catholicism in MN – in a community that was very new to ecumenism

 

Charles Bobertz giving a relatively quickly prepared presentation in light of some informal news that Miguel Diaz, the scheduled speaker, is to be appointed the Obama Administration’s Ambassador to the Holy See. Remember you heard it here first!

 

Drawing from the Isaiah image from the morning, we experience the powerful vision of God’s presence and then there is the reality of “real world” – job difficulties, broken realities, etc.  There is a continuum between the two and the middle is the place where they meet that fosters creativity. Staying at either end doesn’t work for us.  “The creativity of the church is in the middle” of these two realities, experiencing them both.

 

This is ancient wisdom from the Bible to today.  The center point is often a place of chaos – which can be the place creativity begins.

 

Gospel  and Bible attempts to not just relay a historical story but a story that interprets our story.  Many people read the  story of the Gospel as “out there” and apply it “here.” But Charles encourages us to read the story of our lives “within” the Gospel. This is how the gospel writers wrote them – with an eye toward the issues facing their real human church communities.

 

Liturgy as meal is a key image he used to demonstrate his point on the middle – chaos point. He offered a poignant comparison between how current issues related to how we work liturgy interculturally in MN and the early church’s effort to integrate slaves and free persons into the celebration of the Eucharist, which was a public scandal outside of the community.  This is the origin of some creative tension.

 

He additionally raised the point of the relationship between women’s equality in the large society in more recent history and relates it to the Jewish-Gentile tensions of the early church in the relation to the Eucharist. 

 

Using the Gospel of Mark as a key focus in his lecture, Charles points out the link between baptism, and its link with the cross of Christ, which brings us to a Eucharist table that is the place of creative tension. “The divine and human meet in the cross of Christ … in the moment of death.”

 

Symbolically, the early church celebred Christmas on Dec. 25 because it backtracks 9 months to March 25 – a time that the death of Christ is celebrated. The death of Christ is the moment of the conception of Christ.

 

In the beginning of Mark’s Gospel Jesus is baptized. Why, since it is a baptism “for forgiveness of sins.” It is because Jesus is baptized into his death. I (Marc DelMonico) am reminded of the way the “Song of Mark” by Marty Haugen conveys this – “I must pass through the waters, to the other side / There is no turning back now there is no place to hide.”

 

So Charles makes the point that the baptism and subsequent ministry is used by Mark to show disciples of Christ what it means to be followers of the dying and rising Christ.

 

Mark has Eucharist #1 in ch. 6; Eucharist #2 in ch. 8; Eucharist in ch. 14 (Last Supper).  There are three pictures of the Eucharist.  All involve Jesus “taking,” “blessing,” breaking,” and “giving.” Mark is a story of baptism – Eucharist – Eucharist – Eucharist.  What is the point of the three? Each one changes the picture in a subtle way. A “baptism” story preceeds each one.

 

Ch 4 – Jesus crosses the sea to the “other side” – Jesus is asleep and the boat is being “covered by the water” – It is writing the story of baptism into the story of Jesus – the story continues when they wake him “he rose” – a symbol of the resurrection.  This preceeds Christ’s first visit to the Gentiles – a baptism for the work among the Gentiles leading to the Eucharist with them.

 

The important imagery of the waters of chaos and the hovering spirit from Genesis 1 was used over and over again by the New Testament authors.  A fascinating early image in the catacombs is Jesus as the New Noah! (Recall Jesus calming the storm and walking on the water in this light.)

 

Disciples are scared not just because of the waters, but because they are going to the Gentiles – a source of major tension for the Jewish Christians. The expulsion of the demon from the Gerasene demonic is symbolic of the inclusion of the Gentiles in the salvation brought by Jesus.

 

The first Eucharist story – ch. 6: An intertexual story of the Israelites – “into the wilderness” = Exodus.  A common effort of the evangelists to collapse time from the Old Testament to the present time (time of Jesus) in the story to the time of the church (really present moment of the community).

 

An archeological aside: Excavations at Sephoris have revealed the poverty of 1^st century Palestine – which continually comes out in the ministry of Jesus in the Gospels.

 

The setup for the first Eucharist story – the Jewish disciples cross over to the wilderness via the water (Exodus image).  The Gentiles go eagerly on foot (not by the same way as the Jewish disciples via Exodus water) but got to the same place nonetheless – inclusion of the Gentiles in the work of Jesus. This addresses the Jewish –Gentile distinction in the early church.

 

Disciples wants Jesus to send them away because it is the “wilderness” – our special Israelite place of redemption – and the “hour is late” – apocalyptic image. “Shall we buy this for THEM” – think of it in a disparaging term.  Jesus resists this.

 

The disciples find five loaves and two fish – five for the books of Moses and two fish is Gentiles = 7 the perfect biblical number.

 

The chaos point – the moment of creation – is interpreted by Mark as the original point of chaos. Christ is seen as the centerpoint of creation. The seven day creation story is the story of the emerging Christian community. It comes out of chaos, is established in the garden of Christ’s resurrection and is the new garden of Eden where ALL are welcome and a part of the creation.

 

The Jewish disciples are told by Jesus to feed the Gentiles – something they couldn’t possibly enjoy , and were probably revulsed by.

 

Some other images:

12 baskets = 12 tribes of Israel

Full of “broken pieces” – klasmata, the early Christian word for Eucharist (I note the connection here with how Eucharist is “broken” in the liturgy during the Fraction Rite)

Fish mixed together with bread together – for Jews and Gentiles together

 

Between this Eucharist and the next Eucharist in ch. 8 – The transition is the Syro-Phoenecian woman who questions  Jesus on “who is allowed at the table.”

 

The Walking on the Water story: The disciples are being swamped by the waves – trying to do the inclusive ministry to the Gentiles on their own.  But the point is that the disciples recognize they still need Jesus – the one who can walk on water, dominate chaos, and who encourages us from avoiding fear. He walks on the water as a human, not as a “ghost.”  For us, this means that it feels like in our ministries we can’t accomplish what we want and get through the brokenness of our lives and the church and the world, but we meet the divine presence “in the middle” at the point of chaos (not just in the presence of God like Isaiah) to help us understand how to proceed.

 

The disciples don’t get “the loaves.” They don’t get the point of the story of eating with the Gentiles.

 

The next feeding narrative – ch 8:

 

They (Gentiles) have been with me “three days” – symbol of the baptism into Christ’s death – but they have not eaten (they are not being allowed at the table of the Eucharist).  They have come a “long way” Jesus says. That is to say, they had to make a lot of social rejection to become Christians. (This is a hard point to make sense of in an individualistic culture like ours.)

 

The resistance in the disciples again repeats. It is a social resistance to the Gentiles continuing, in spite of the previous message. Now this Gentile group includes women, which is another stretch for the Jewish disciples.

 

Now “seven” loaves – the symbol of the new creation already there.

 

Ch 8 – Bread on the Boat:

 

Distinction between singular and plural: They forgot “loaves” but brought “loaf.” The disciples say “We have no loaves” (because they have the one “loaf”).

 

Jesus: “Why do you talk about having no loaves?” Do you not understand about the one loaf!

 

Ch 14 – The Final Eucharist (Last Supper):

 

Jesus takes the “one loaf” to take, bless, brake and share – Take it – the one loaf – of the Jews and Gentiles and women – this is my body – the vision of the inclusive table – the story of the Eucharist – the call of the church

Liveblogging NALM Conference – St. Paul, MN – “Ministering With the Heart of Christ”

7:50 pm : Questions for discussions – What other virtues are important for ministers? What other aspects of the heart of Christ are important? Also, Thinking of people who have ministered to you, what were the qualities of heart that made them effective ministers to you?

At my table, the virtues of presence and honesty came forward. Images of presence to people. Honesty about oneself and honesty to another and mirroring. Patience as a state of mind needed in small and large things.

Lots of good energy to wrap up this first night of the conference. Now, onto the exhibits and hors d’oeuvres!

7:49 pm: Wrap up of the lecture part. “Go and do likewise.”

 7:43 pm: Isaiah 54 as image of hope. God says: “My love will never leave you.” God is still on the move! within each of us – the call to the “not yet” but also that this happens in God’s time not ours. Key: “God be slow. God be very slow. But God will always get done on time.”

7:41 pm: According to Matthew 25, the criterion of the final judgment is compassion.

7:35 pm: We recognize in the example of Jesus the call to hospitality – to be present, to listen, to server. This is a ministerial orientation that is essential. It is also important to be hospitable toward God – often expressed in the Advent liturgical season.  I appreciated the story of seeing the Father, Son, and Spirit at one’s front door upon coming home and them saying “We want to make our home with you; but you’re never home!”

7:30 pm: Gratitude works beyond ourselves and encourages others to share their gifts and for us to share our gifts with others.

7:26 pm: A poignant story of the mementos and gifts from many and some he has forgotten who gave them. He realized those he forgot who gave them were possessions. The ones he could remember the association were gifts.

7:23 pm: A key question that arises from his talk is How do we embody the mind and heart of Jesus in the diverse circumstances of today? Fr. Fagin suggests the issue is not a blueprint but a heart and mind-set that can be reflected in some key virtues: gratitude, generosity, hospitality, compassion, hope.

7:21 pm: “Love one another as I have loved you” is the most challenging line in the Gospel. It is not the Golden Rule – it is the Platinum Rule! 

Another great line: “To be an effective minister, we have to put on the heart of Jesus” It is not just a matter of enumerating religious practices.

7:18 pm: The second of the polarities are essential to balance the first in each of the five he presents. He recognizes there is a balance between them.

7:16 pm: On psychological wholeness in ministry: “When we are not psychologically whole as ministers, we preach not Christ crucified, but ourselves ‘hung up.”

 

Fr. Gerry Fagin, SJ begins the conference with a rousing reminder of the links between what is profoundly human and the divine – spirituality and ministry, relationship and friendship.  “We cannot be effective ministers if we are not friends of Jesus. It is just that simple.”

“Servants do the master’s will, but friends live out Jesus’ hopes and dreams.”  These key images emerge from the story of Last Supper, particularly the washing of the feet.

7:14 pm – A key point on the way ministry perceived from a privatized vs. a communal perspective in relation to the church.

2000 years later, Vatican II, has reminded us of the universal call to holiness. “Ministry is the vocation of every Christian.”

The heart of Fr. Fagin’s talk moves into polarities of contemporary spirituality.  These polarities reflect the perceptions of spirituality in the contemporary church. 

Objective vs. Subject-Centered: I think his focus on the human subject’s growth as human is right on target for the development of a mature spirituality.  Conversion, not conformity, is at the heart of spiritual growth.  The minister must approach the person from the perspective of helping them grow in their conversion journey. This is not a subjective approach, but a person-centered approach. An important difference.

Perfection vs. Process: Spiritual life as journey - not just negatively (how far we have to go) but positively (where we have come from.)  He notes the shift from the examination of conscience to include examination of consciousness. Purification is still seen as part of this process.  “We find God where we are; not where we think we should be.”