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| Dear Church of God at St. Robert’s, I know this is an unusual greeting, but I adapted it from St. Paul who regularly addressed the believers in a particular town with this type of salutation. We may not think of ourselves as the Church, but we truly are. We have been hearing St. Paul tell us as much when he calls us “living stones,” “a chosen race, a royal people, a holy nation, a people of his own.” What great dignity is ours! Surely, we are not perfect and our Church is not perfect, but we and our Church are guided by the Spirit whose presence we celebrate today. God believes in us and entrusts the message of the gospel, the good news, to our imperfect selves. One of the challenges of our new Holy Father will be the interaction between the local Church, the People of God of an (arch)diocese, for example, represented by the (arch)bishop, and the universal Church, represented by the Holy Father. The relationship between the proper authority of each national Synod of Bishops and the authority of the Pope was not adequately dealt with during the Second Vatican Council. Many analysts would concur that the proper role of national conferences of bishops, whose members know the needs of their people, has been eroded during this papacy in favor of more centralized decision-making. With the expansion of global communications, we realize how different the Church is bound to be in the various countries and cultures in which she finds herself. Happy Birthday, Church! With the coming of the Spirit, the message of Jesus extends from a doubting, yet faithful, little group of disciples to the known world of that time. With the coming of the Spirit, Jesus’ presence is not limited to one place at a time (as the body of any human being is), but now Jesus can be present through the Spirit in many people and places and throughout human history. May we each be a presence of the Lord through the Spirit in our place and time. Peace, S. Sheral |
