Much of the operational strength of Catholic institutions in education, health-care and social service comes from the government in the form of direct funding and tax benefits for donors. How will Catholic institutions survive the collapse of Christendom and the inevitable strain on the relationship between the Church and state? I see only one way forward. These institutions will need to strengthen their missional ties to the evangelizing purpose of the Church and at the same time, loosen relational ties with society. If our Catholic institutions do not keep the main thing the main thing, it may lead to their capitulation toward irrelevance and demise.
If our Catholic institutions do not keep the main thing the main thing, it may lead to their capitulation toward irrelevance and death. Click To TweetThis is not creative hyperbole and I am not exaggerating for effect. The culture’s imaginative vision is no longer aligned to the Gospel. The once “carte blanche” relationship between the Church and society no longer holds. It is getting clearer every day that contemporary society has no interest in carrying on the façade of a partnership between Church and culture.
It is getting clearer every day that contemporary society sees no benefit in carrying on the façade of a partnership between Church and culture. Click To TweetThe Church is no longer a trusted lighthouse for society. Decades ago, because of the shared imaginative vision between the Church and culture, the Church was invited to extend her influence into areas not explicitly religious.
Catholic institutions in education, health-care and social services birthed in a Christendom state, received operational funding from the government and charity status allowing the issuance of tax receipts to donors. That was an amazing accomplishment and should be celebrated. But yesterdays solution has become today’s problem. If we rely too heavily on our relationship with society, we risk accommodating when we should be resisting.
If the Church and her institutions rely too heavily on the positive relationship with society, we risk accommodating when we should be resisting. Click To TweetIf Catholic institutions in education, healthcare and social services do not see the inimical relationship between the culture’s imaginative vision and the Gospel, those institutions may be tempted to accommodate the world’s progressive ideologies at the expense of their Catholic identity which would be disastrous and a certain catalyst to capitulation.
We are beginning to see examples of perilous accommodation. For example, ecumenism is a good thing but when Catholic educational institutions value positive ecumenical relations more than students encountering Jesus Christ and becoming His disciple, an accommodation with the egalitarian world is made and Catholic identity wanes.
Ecumenism is a good thing and should be pursued but Catholic institutions should not value positive ecumenical relations more than students encountering Jesus Christ and becoming His disciple. Click To TweetIf Catholic healthcare institutions are more committed to the values of equity, diversity, and inclusivity than the virtues of faith, hope and love – with God as their source and object – an accommodation with wokeism is made and Catholic identity wanes.
Catholic institutions should elevate the virtues of faith, hope and love - with God as their source and object - higher than the contemporary values of equity, diversity, and inclusivity. Click To TweetWhen Catholic social service organizations equate witnessing to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as proselytism or a secondary operational pursuit, an accommodation with the post-Christian world is made and Catholic identity wanes.
If you read this blog regularly, you know that I am a big fan of the book, From Christendom to Apostolic Mission. I draw on it’s wisdom once again in this blog: Catholic institutions need to be led by apostles, not mere administrators, if these institutions are going to make the shift from Christendom mode to Apostolic mode.
What is an apostle?
An apostle believes that the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ comes with the responsibility of making Him known by others. “Be Jesus, share Jesus,” said Mother Teresa, who was a true apostle and missionary of charity. The apostle gladly accepts the responsibility of sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ even at times when it feels like a burden, “Woe to me if I do not proclaim the Gospel” (Saint Paul).
An apostle believes that the privilege of knowing Jesus Christ comes with the responsibility of making Him known by others. Click To TweetAn apostle is one who lives as a fully engaged member of the human race, but always with a profound sense of the spiritual and invisible world. An apostle knows that the invisible realties are more real and more important than anything temporal. Saint Thomas Aquinas taught that we humans do not just inhabit the material world. We interpret it, discern order within it, derive meaning from it and act decisively on it. Our intellect and will transcend the material world, connecting us to God and the invisible world He created. Human beings are a paradox. We straddle between matter and spirit. Apostles keep us focused on the invisible world and it’s hierarchy of values all the while remaining fully engaged in temporal matters. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati (pictured below) is a great example of what it means to live a fully engaged life here on earth but never losing sight of the eternal things. He inspired his friends to do the same.
An apostle knows Who is at the center of the story. He knows his place and His place, that history is HIS-story. As such, the apostle understands that leadership is a stewardship, leadership is temporary, and the leader is accountable to God. “A man can receive only what is given him from heaven. I am not the Christ but am sent ahead of Him. The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom stands and listens for him, and is overjoyed to hear his voice. That joy is mine and is now complete. He must increase and I must decrease” (Saint John the Baptist).
An apostle is one who prioritizes discipleship, specifically, his daily encounter with God. For the apostle, personal prayer is the foundation of everything. “It would be wrong to think that ordinary Christians can be content with a shallow life of prayer that is unable to fill their whole life. Especially in the face of so many trials of which today’s world subjects faith, they would be not only mediocre Christians but Christians at risk” (Saint John Paul II).
An apostle is one who prioritizes discipleship, specifically, his daily encounter with God. For the apostle, personal prayer is the foundation of everything. Click To TweetCatholic institutions making the shift from Christendom to apostolic mission need apostles at the helm, not mere administrators. Navigating how to loosen the ties with contemporary culture, while strengthening allegiance to the evangelizing purpose of the Church, is no small task. But it is THE task required of the moment and the main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing.
Navigating how to loosen the ties with contemporary culture, while strengthening allegiance to the evangelizing purpose of the Church is THE task required of the moment. The main thing is to keep the main thing, the main thing. Click To Tweet