Christ is our Hope September 2010 : Page 2
From the Bishop 2 A Pilgrimage of Hope Do you have a petition for Bishop Sartain’s prayer list? You may send it to him at: Bishop Sartain’s Prayer List, Diocese of Joliet; 425 Summit St., Joliet, IL 60435-7193. several from other countries. Their abbots had given two monks from Togo, West Africa, special as-signments. In addition to studying theology, they were to gain practical skills needed at home. One was to learn computers and office man-agement, the other plumbing, electrical wiring, and cheese-making. W The monks were carrying on an ancient monastic tradition of acquiring practical expertise for the benefit of their communi-ties. Through the centuries, such trades have included architecture, engineering, construction, calligraphy, painting, carpentry, farming, and book-binding, just to mention a few. All the while, the same monastic com-munities steeped themselves in intellect and art – philosophy, theology, history, literature, language, music, medicine, mathematics, botany, and so forth. They literally sought God in all things. In other words, the ancient monastic tradi-tion of learning the trades is not just a matter of practicality. It is also a matter of treasur-ing, transmitting and shaping what is beauti-ful, true, and good in human culture, as a reflection of the glory of God (see Philippians 4:8-9). In fact, during certain dark periods of history, it was the monasteries that protected and preserved Western culture. It might seem ironic that those who “flee the world” have had such a central role in its development. After all, monks and nuns know that “here we have no lasting city, but we seek the one that is to come” (Hebrews 13:14). But there is no irony here, only a reflection of the Christian belief that we are a Church of pilgrims. Perhaps it would help to think of the great cathedrals of Europe, some of which took many years to build. The craftsmen and workers whose lives were dedicated to these cathedrals knew they might not live to see their projects completed, since they were but links in a long chain of builders. One might say they were pilgrims who did the work of God without needing to see its full completion in this life, who believed that doing God’s work is its own reward. Will there ever be a time when the work of the Church is done, when all we strive and hope for is accomplished before our eyes? Will there ever be a time when the Church is purified of all trials, when the scandal of evil is erased from her midst? In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, the fathers of Vatican II wrote, “Christ, ‘holy, innocent, and undefiled,’ knew nothing of sin, but came only to expiate the sins of the people. The Church, however, clasping sinners to her bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows constantly the path of penance and renewal” (no. 8). As long as our pilgrimage lasts, as long as we persevere in the work of God, we are also being purified. Our salvation has already been ac-complished by Christ – but it is not yet perfected in us, for we have not yet given ourselves fully to his grace. We have not yet “grown up” in him. “We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. hen I spent a weekend at a Benedictine mon-astery a few years back, I noticed a variety of religious habits in the monastic community, and the abbot told me that there were eight monks from other monasteries studying there, For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance” (Romans 8:22-25). We are pilgrims, as the Church itself is a pilgrim. We pray and we work. We seek God, we ply our trades and raise our families. We love what is beautiful in human culture, because in it we see God’s fingerprints. We sow the seeds of God in our daily encounters, aware that the crop may not be ready for harvest on our watch. We confess our faults and deliver them to God’s purifying mercy. We persevere – patiently and proudly – because we know we are part of an ancient flow of pilgrims doing the work of God. We humbly admit that, although we are pilgrim-workers, we are also part of the work. A true pilgrimage begins not when we decide to embark on a journey but when we allow ourselves to be drawn to a goal. We are on this journey because God is drawing us, along with all creation, to our true home. Though it has seen twists and turns and pit-falls, the Church’s pilgrimage – our pilgrim-age – was irreversibly set in motion at the birth of Christ. And so we are full of hope! Saint Peter wrote that because our true home is in heaven, we are “aliens” and “so-journers” on earth. Even though we are to plunge ourselves into the work of this world, we are not to settle down here, because we are on the way home. Did you know that the word “parish” comes from Greek and means a com-munity of aliens with no permanent rights of citizenship? Perhaps we should think of ourselves as migrant workers. We tend God’s fields and provide his food for his people – and hope to draw others with us along the way. Jesus Christ is our hope! Bishop Peter Sartain Christ is our Hope September 2010 Liturgical Calendar: St. Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the church Sept. 3 | Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Sept. 8 | St. Peter Claver, priest Sept. 9 | St. John Chry
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