“WHO DO YOU SAY THAT I AM?”Pastoral Letter on Ecclesiology

A Theological Study of the Church

Who Do You Say That I Am?• Jesus asked this question of his apostles

• We too must consider this question

Ecclesiology – a Study of the ChurchThe Church:

•Represents

and •Acts in the name of

Jesus to the world

Why Now?• Observation of the Year of Faith

• 50th Anniversary of Vatican Council

• 20th Anniversary of The Catechism of the Catholic Church

• A time of renewal – in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee

Pastoral Letter: “Who Do You Say that I Am?”• A theological study or the Church (“Ecclesiology”)

• Contains four distinct segments:• The Church as Mystery• The Church as Sacrament• The Church as Communion• Mary, Mother of The Church

• Expectation is to use the letter as a focal point in 2013 to prayerfully reflect, discuss and gain input for Synod in 2014

CHURCH AS MYSTERY

Church as Mystery – an Introduction“A mystery is something to be contemplated and lived…a source of endless wonder.”

Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Mystery: ‘experience of faith’

The Church is:

•Flooded with grace

•Resplendent in beauty

•Adorned by the manifold gifts of the Spirit.

Pope Benedict XVI

Church as Mystery: ‘eyes of faith’

• With the “eyes of faith”

• One can see the Church’s visible reality as well as Her spiritual reality

CCC #770

Church as Mystery: the Body of Christ

• “…it is the Holy Spirit who gathers together the People of God, forming them into a living spiritual community, the Body of Christ.”Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Mystery: ‘an inspiration for people’ “The living mystery of Christ’s Incarnation and Resurrection has inspired countless men and women (in southeastern Wisconsin)….”Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Mystery: building of churches

“…to raise mission stations, chapels and churches.”Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Mystery: inspiration for Love of Neighbor

“…concern for the stranger, the orphan, the sick….”Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Mystery: ‘manifest in the sacraments’ The unity of Christ and the Church•Is a mystery •Sustained in grace •Poured forth in the Church •Made manifest in the sacraments

CHURCH AS SACRAMENT

Church as Sacrament• “…a sacred sign, instituted

by Christ to give grace.”

• The Church Herself is understood as a “sacrament”

• The Church is a mystery because She is a sacramentWho Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Sacrament: ‘source of sanctity’The purpose of the sacraments:•To give worship to God.•To build up the Body of Christ•To sanctify men and women

Church as Sacrament: Gift for All

The Holy Eucharist is:

•The gift that Jesus Christ makes of himself•Revealing to us God’s infinite love for every man and woman.”

Pope Benedict XVI

Church as Sacrament: Harmonious• The divine and the human

in the Church can never be dissociated

• Sacrament harmoniously

combines both the spiritual the institutional

Avery Cardinal Dulles “Models of the Church”

Church as Sacrament: Preserving identity“We cannot allow the Church or the Christian experience to be defined by others or subjected to reductive descriptions.”

•Even in the wake of scandal

•Especially in the midst of having to defend religious liberty and freedom of conscience

Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Sacrament: Revealing

The lives of the saints are themselves sacramental

•They reveal the Christian mystery

•“Help to make the inner reality of the Church more clear.”

Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

CHURCH AS COMMUNION

Church as Communion: The Holy Spirit

“Authentic spiritual union – the sort of communion – that characterizes the Church of Christ, can only come from the Father, through the Son, sustained by the Holy Spirit.”Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Communion: Triune God

“The Church is called … to promote communion with the Triune God and communion among the faithful.”Blessed John Paul II

Church as Communion: Divine Nature

• “In Christ’s Church, communion is not merely community.

• Its bonds are spiritual, originating in the Trinity…

• Experiences the Holy Spirit’s pouring forth faith, hope and love into the hearts of all the baptized.”Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Church as Communion: Converging in the Eucharist

• Communion is vertical and horizontal

• Communion with God and communion with our brothers and sisters.

• Both dimensions mysteriously converge in the gift of the Eucharist

Pope Benedict XVI, Sacramentum Caritatis

MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH

Mary, Mother of The Church• Mary is intimately united to

the Church

• Model of maternal care

• Prototype for those who would follow Our Lord and build up His Church

Mary, Mother of The Church• “Our patron, St. John,

received Mary into his home as Christ had desired.”

• The Church also opens Her arms to the Blessed Virgin and sees Christ’s Mother as the “archetype for the Church.”

Who Do You Say That I AmPastoral Letter, 2013

Mary, Mother of The Church• Mary serves as the

ultimate model of humility

• Perhaps the single most significant virtue associated with her

• Involves admitting the truth about ourselves. Fully aware of our weaknesses and sin, God has chosen us…

Next Steps

• Pray for discernment: What does this reflection on the Church mean to us as the Archdiocese of Milwaukee and at the local parish level?

• Discuss: How can we carry on the mission of Christ? (Christ has a mission, His mission has a Church).

• Provide feedback: Where should we focus our efforts to bear the most fruit? As we listen for and seek to discern God’s will, in what ways can we obey His design for us and His Church? How can this improve our experience of the Christian reality in our daily lives?

TimelineAnticipated Timeframe Activity

March – June, 2013 Parishes to hold prayerful discussions with leadership (staff, Councils and parish leaders)

May 19, 2013 Announcement of Synod to take place in June 2014

October/November, 2013 Hold parish-wide prayerful discussions

February 2014 Hold district wide prayerful discussions

June 7-8 2014 (Pentecost Weekend)

Synod

QUESTIONS?