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Volume 18 Number 4 Volume 18, Autumn 1972, Number 4 Article 9

Mission and Priesthood in the

Rev. Richard P. McBrien

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This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. It has been accepted for inclusion in The Catholic Lawyer by an authorized editor of St. John's Law Scholarship Repository. For more information, please contact [email protected]. MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH'

REVEREND RICHARD P. MCBRIEN*

HE ASSIGNED TITLE for this paper is "Mission and Priesthood in the Church." Perhaps a more precise title for these reflections would be "The Mission of the Church and its Ministries, with Special Reference to the Ordained Ministry." My remarks will be divided into two major sections. The first I call general systematic remarks, in which I will try to indicate the relationship between and our understanding of the ministries of the Church, i.e., how our concept of Church affects our concept of ministry, whether the ordained ministry or any one of the several ministries of the Church. In the second part of my presenta- tion I shall indicate ten theses on the mission and ministries of the Church which will be by way of specifying some of the material in the first general section. For a bibliographical basis for these remarks, in addition to the obvious grounding in the , I am indebted to certain docu- ments of the , in particular Christus Dominus, Lumen Gentium and Gaudium et Spes. I am also reflecting in the presen- tation perhaps more than any other source a report which I worked on as a member of the subcommittee of the ' Committee on Priestly Life and Ministry for the National Conference of Catholic Bishops. That report was done under the chairmanship of Carl Armbruster, S.J. It was submitted in its totality at the recent bishops' meeting in Atlanta. I am also indebted for my thinking on the ministry of the Church and particularly on the ordained ministry to a letter on celibacy of the Ameri- can Catholic Bishops in November of 1969, a letter which has gone

t Paper delivered the Eastern Regional Conference, Society of Amer- ica, at Scranton, Pennsylvania on May 2, 1972. * Priest of the Archdiocese of Hartford; Professor of Theology at Boston College and John XXIII Seminary, Weston, Massachusetts; Chairman of Joint Doc- toral Program with Andover Newton Theological School. 300 MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH largely unread by two sides in the Church It seems to me that a crucial methodolog- for very different reasons: one side figuring ical principle contained in that document to there is no point reading and studying it the American Bishops is that our concept because it took our position, and the other of the purpose of ordained ministry is de- side figuring that there is no point reading cisively formed by our understanding of the that statement because it didn't take our Church. One theologian, a biblical scholar, position. It is still holding the line on once said it this way, "Have as high a doc- celibacy. But, as a matter of fact, at least trine of ministry as you like so long as your in my judgment, there is some very good doctrine of the Church is higher, and have material in that letter whatever your posi- as high a doctrine of the Church as you like tion on the celibacy question might be. I am so long as your doctrine of the Kingdom is also indebted to various writings on the higher." In other words, the concept of ordained ministry by Edward Schillebeeckx, Church makes sense only in terms of its Walter Kasper, Raymond Brown and Karl ultimate purpose which is the same as the Rahner, and Hans Kung's book, Why purpose of himself, that is, to hasten Priests? It is a presentation on the ordained the coming of the Kingdom of God, in ministry within the Church. And finally I word, in and in ministry. And am indebted to the various symposia of the just as the Church makes sense only in Canon Law Society of America, which, terms of its ultimate responsibility of the I say as an outsider, are the most significant coming of the Kingdom, so the ministry or contributions your Society has made to the the various ministries of the Church make American Church. sense only in terms of their ability to help the Church fulfill that mission for the sake Part I: General systematic reflections on of the Kingdom. Have as high a doctrine the relationship between ecclesiology and of the ministry as you want so long as your our understanding of ministries or min- doctrine of the Church is higher. Have as istries of the Church. I am going to read high a doctrine of the Church as you like just a few lines from the aforementioned so long as your doctrine of the Kingdom report to the American Bishops. I am quot- is higher. ing from page 26: "To understand better the meaning and role of Christian priest- Now this is not the place to explain how hood, besides recalling the priest's relation- our understanding of Church affects our ship to the person of Jesus , one needs understanding of ministry except in a very also to situate the specific responsibilities schematic way. I have said on other occa- of the priest within the broader context of sions that we have operative in the Ameri- the mystery of the Church itself. The priest can Catholic community today various serves the faithful and the world from models or images of Church. I have listed within the family of the Church which them in a way that is subject to variation clearly shapes his particular self identity. and subject to change and to challenge. But Our concept of the purpose of ordained I have listed them for purposes of discussion ministry is decisively formed by our under- as a hierarchical, an existentialist and a standing of the Church." prophetic model of Church. I am not saying 18 CATHOLIC LAWYER, AUTUMN 1972

that any one of those models is wrong or posite of ordained ministry? Not at all. corrosive of our understanding of Church. What I am suggesting, however, is that The only thing I have said about them is when this model of Church is the dominant that each one of them is an inadequate model or indeed the exclusive model, then model for understanding the mystery of the it is very easy to develop a theology of min- Church and that somehow we must be istry, and ordained ministry in particular, able to construct an open-ended model of which not only concentrates on, but makes Church that absorbs the distinctive values almost exclusive, the task of the ordained of each of these three models without, how- ministry as a task of word and sacrament. ever, becoming locked into any one of them. And just to give some kind of grounding A hierarchical model of Church which to that general remark I would urge you to says something very right about the Church study the first of the two synodal documents is a model which emphasizes the Church as developed in Rome last November. First, a visible society with a hierarchical struc- study the one on the ministerial priesthood ture, which emphasizes the Church as an and notice how its understanding of or- institution over against community. It dained ministry, of priesthood, of minis- doesn't deny community. We are talking in terial priesthood reflects at every crucial terms of emphasis. The hierarchical model point a particular understanding of Church. of Church would have been the model that In other words, its understanding of the was dominant in the early drafts of Lumen mission of the Church is pretty much lim- Gentium. It is the model of Church which ited to a mission of word and sacrament. remains dominant in Catholic thinking to- The goal of evangelization is generally lim- day. It remains, in fact, crucial in much ited to word and sacrament. We proclaim policy making in the . I the Word of God that we might draw people have quarreled with it only when it is pro- to faith in Jesus Christ and draw them to posed as an absolute, self-contained, closed gather around the common table of sacri- model of Church, as if it reflected the total fice. Am I suggesting that that is not part mystery of the Church. It emphasizes, first of the mission of the Church? Am I suggest- and foremost, the Church as a visible soci- ing that that is not part of the essential task ety with a hierarchical structure. I have sug- of evangelization? Not at all. But I am gested that, as the report of the American suggesting that, because the model is an Bishops indicates, the model of Church that inadequate model of Church, it tends to we operate on will dictate the model of min- bring with it a restricted and, therefore, istry or, more specifically, the model of or- inadequate concept of the mission of the dained ministry within the Church. For Church. Or again compare the concept of example, if the dominant model of Church ordained ministry in that document on the is hierarchical, then the understanding of priesthood with its notion of Church and ministry is going to be a ministry of , a ministry, and the concept of Church in the ministry of magisterium, that is, a ministry second of the synodal documents on justice of word and sacrament. Am I suggesting in the world. I would think any fair minded that that is not part of the essential com- reading of both of those documents would MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH disclose different approaches to the mission ister is going to be principally a 'facilitator' of the Church. In the latter document evan- or an 'enabler' of community, to use some gelization is described in this way. It says common psychological terms. They even that the pursuit of justice and the trans- use the term "tuner" now. When you have formation of the earth are seen as "a con- people together for discussion, facilitators, stitutive dimension of the preaching of the enablers or tuners, whatever you prefer to ." Now that is different from an call them, people who are in the group as a earlier concept which makes the Church's resource person or as a catalyst, they some- concern for justice and the transformation how can get interpersonal relationships go- of the earth a matter of pre-evangelization, ing and can sustain them. Is that part of the things that the Church ought to be inter- mission of the Church? I do not see why we ested in if it has sufficient personnel and should deny it. Therefore, I do not see why resources. The second synodal document on we should deny that that is not a viable justice in the world takes a position which aspect of the responsibility or task of the I think is basically the same as Gaudium et ordained minister within the Church. But Spes of Vatican 1I, namely that the pursuit if that is your exclusive model of Church of justice and the transformation of the and that is your exclusive concept of or- earth, as engaged in by the Christian com- dained ministry, it seems to me that both munity, is a constitutive dimension of evan- are defective for basically the same reason. gelization. A third model of Church, in addition to A second model of Church which is op- the hierarchical or existentialist model, is erative in the Catholic community today I'd prophetic-that is, an understanding of call an existentialistic model for want of a Church not so much as a visible society, better term. There are Catholics today who hierarchically structured, in fact, very little look upon the Church not at all as a visi- of that, not even so much as a community ble society, hierarchically structured. They where interpersonal relationships can be might be the type who not only do not like sustained and supported, but more impor- too much law; they might not like any law. tantly as a movement or agency of social But they look upon the Church first and change. The Church is the avant-garde of foremost as a community, as an encounter the kingdom. The Church is to be where the group, you might say. The Church is prin- action is. The Church happens wherever cipally a context for human growth. Now there is a struggle for justice and peace. I if that is your model of Church, (and there do not see how we can realistically and is some basis for this in theologically deny that that is saying some- and in Vatican II if you elaborate on the thing true about the mystery of the Church. concept of Church as , as Vatican II, especially in Gaudium et Spes, pilgrim people), if this is not only your speaks of the Church very much in that ac- dominant but your exclusive model of cent, that the Church is to be like Jesus, a Church, then you are going to develop a servant. The Church is to discern and re- distinctive notion of priesthood and minis- spond creatively and imaginatively to the try within the Church. The ordained min- signs of the times and to distribute its re- 18 CATHOLIC LAWYER, AUTUMN 1972 sources for the sake of facilitating the com- I have cited the two synodal documents in ing of God's Kingdom by humanizing the order to let you see how we have working world, by bringing justice and peace to the in the same different models of world. That is a third model of Church. It Church, not contradictory, but different is a viable model of Church except when it models of Church, with a notable difference is adopted as a closed-ended or self-con- in attitude towards the scope of ordained tained or exclusive model. When that model ministry. The first document is very cau- of Church is adopted in a limited way, tious on the involvement of priests in poli- then there develops a self-contained, exclu- tics and the second, even though it is talking sive, closed-ended model of ordained min- about the problem of politics and justice in istry. The priest or ordained minister be- the world, makes no such reservation. Let comes in that instance principally a political me read another few sentences now from activist. Father Groppi or the Berrigans, that report on the priesthood to the Ameri- for example, are not only viable expressions can Bishops. This is from page 29, which of ordained ministry, they are the norm. illuminates a second principle in this first They become, in fact, the exemplars of what general systematic section, the first prin- ordained ministry is all about. ciple being that our understanding of min- istries in general and of ordained ministry Now I am suggesting in this first part of in particular is decisively formed by our my presentation, in these general systematic understanding of Church. The second reflections, a point that may or may not be principle is: Ministry is related to mission entirely obvious to you. But it is not obvious to many people in the Catholic Church and as means to an end. to many people we mutually serve. Let me just digress here for a moment. To refer again from the report to the Oftentimes some of us, even in theology and American Bishops, our concept of the pur- I suppose in Canon Law, rank and file, non-professional, non-academic Catholics, pose of ordained ministry, what it means to be priests today, to use the traditional way will use the words "mission" and "ministry" of asking the question, is decisively formed as if they were synonymous. They are not. -those are the words in the report-is We often multiply wokds casually: the goal, decisively formed by our understanding of the mission, the purpose, the task of the the Church. And what I have done thus far Church. And we assume all the while that these words are basically in this first part of my paper is to indicate, saying the same very schematically to be sure, that if we thing. Sometimes we do that with the "mis- look at some of the dominant models or sion" and the "ministry" of the Church, as some of the popular models of Church to- if they were the same thing. They are not. day in the Catholic community, hierarchi- Even their Latin derivative is different, mis- cal, existentialist and prophetic, we can see sion coming from the word having to do how these models in turn produce their own with the "sending forth" of the community distinctive models of ordained ministry. in the Spirit and the word ministry having to do with "service." So, as the report to the To provide a concrete point of reference, American Bishops states, and I think it is MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH

on excellent theological grounds, ministry general and the ordained ministry in par- is related to mission as means to an end. ticular is decisively formed by our under- The Church has a mission. The Church standing of Church. Thus, as we go through has been given a responsibility by Jesus this process of renewing and revising, of enacting laws, Christ in and through the power of the we have to be mindful of Spirit, that is, to hasten the coming of the the obvious theological and intellectual fact Kingdom in word, in sacrament and through that our attitude toward form and structure, its service. Furthermore, the Church has as it applies to ministry, will always be a been given certain ministries which allow reflection in some way of our prior under- the Church to fulfill its mission. Ministry is standing of Church. Now I am not sug- related to mission as means to an end. The gesting our awareness of this principle is going Church realizes its mission, quoting again to solve all the problems, but being from the report to the bishops, "The Church so aware will at least help us to see where realizes its mission in the concrete by min- the problems lie. It is not so much a matter istry to mankind as the sacrament of Christ of determining whether we should have in the world. This ministry can be under- team ministries operating in that particular stood as the Church's activity exercised in style or whether we should have the elec- all its members and given life through vari- tion of or limited tenure in office. ous structures. The Church's ministry de- What is important is that we realize that spite its diverse forms should be viewed as the differences that ensue over very specific one common enterprise undertaken at the details of pastoral and canonical concern inspiration of the one . In dif- are oftentimes reflections of deeper dif- ferent ways all the faithful are continuing ferences in our understanding of Church. the work of Christ who gathers What I am doing, and constructs His Church in preparation therefore, is making an appeal to the Canon Law for a coming eschatological fulfillment. Society, or at least in its Eastern Each person and each office in the Church Regional Conference, to take ecclesiology as seriously as possible. cannot do everything. Indeed, God's call Not my ecclesiology, necessarily. I do not to service addressed to each member is pretend particularized. But the diversity of Church to offer the only insight into the Church and I do not pretend to functions are unified in its common mis- offer an insight which cannot sion." stand correction. But I urge you at least to take the issue of ec- So from these general systematic reflec- clesiology seriously and not try to domes- tions on the relationship between eccle- ticate it by imposing your canonical prej- siology and our theology of ministries and udices on it. Try to see that there are in ordained ministry in particular, we can con- fact in the Catholic Church today different struct as the subcommittee on the theology models of Church. Even in the documents of of the priesthood has done, two working Vatican II there is no one single model of theological principles which, it seems to me, Church. Even though the hierarchical model have immediate canonical implications. quantitatively is clearly dominant, there is First, our understanding of ministries in a basis for the other models that I have 18 CATHOLIC LAWYER, AUTUMN 1972 discussed, in Gaudium et Spes and even in these other churches, as being a part of the Lumen Gentium with its emphasis on Peo- (having circumvented at ple of God and on placing the hierarchical Vatican l1 the very thorny question of mem- structure in the context of the Church as bership and what constitutes membership), People of God. At least can we agree upon we ought to acknowledge as well the validity that? At least can we agree that we do not of their respective ministries. To be sure have to accept a single model of Church and there are very definite differences of degree judge all others according to that model of affiliation with the Body of Christ. Never- and that, consequently, we need not lock theless, to the extent that these communities ourselves into a particular way of structur- may be valid expressions of the Body of ing and institutionalizing ministry in terms Christ, then to that same extent would the of a single closed-ended model of Church? ministry of these communities participate in the valid ministry of Christ's Church. The second conclusion of these general If they are part of the Body of Christ, they systematic reflections is that ministry is re- share in the responsibility of the lated to mission as means to an end. In Body of Christ for the sake of the Kingdom, and if other words, as we work together to revise that statement is going and restructure ministry and ministries of to be a meaningful statement, they must have various kinds, we realize all the while that the ministerial wherewithal what we are doing is simply trying to fash- to fulfill that kind of mission- ary responsibility. ion more effective instruments for fulfilling the mission of the Church. The Church is Part II: Ten theses on mission and min- not where ministry is. Ministry is where istry. Church is. I realize historically that has not always been accepted. I realize historically And now to the second major portion of that people have operated on the principle, my remarks. I propose to list ten theses. and many still do, that where the valid The order is not necessarily the best order. minister is, there, and there alone, is the It is the order I regard as the best for the Church. moment. I will be open to suggestions later on by letter regarding a better organization I am suggesting ecclesiologically that this or regarding possible additions. These ten is not the only viable way to proceed. It is theses on the mission of the Church and its equally viable, and in my judgment more ministries do not introduce new material viable, to say that where the valid Church but rather specify what has gone before and is, there is the valid ministry and that to try to give, at least in schematic form, some the extent that the Church is valid, to that footnoting to the points I made in the first same extent is the ministry valid. That is the part of my presentation. kind of ecclesiological method which is at the root of much of the present day ecu- The first thesis: There is a variety of menical thinking, for example, on the ques- ministries within the Church. For example, tions of intercommunion and the mutual preaching with wisdom, preaching with recognition of ministries. In other words, knowledge, that is, the ministry of instruc- if we acknowledge these other communities, tion, healing, working, prophecy, MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH the discernment of spirits, various kinds of draw out some of the implications of ac- tongues, the interpretation of tongues, knowledging a plurality of ministries within teaching, exhortation, almsgiving, presiding, the Church. performing works of , administration, The second thesis: Each ministry within the ministry of the apostle, the ministry of the Church is a function of the mission of the evangelist, and the ministry of the pas- the whole Church. Now again this thesis tor. Now these are just some examples is not any different from some of the re- taken from the New Testament. The refer- marks I made earlier. Each ministry within ences are I Corinthians 12:4 ff, Romans the Church is a function of the mission of 12:6 if, and finally Ephesians 4:11 ff. This the whole Church. Some references: I Cor- thesis is almost yawn provoking. There is inthians, 12:4: "Now there are varieties of a variety of ministries within the Church. gifts but the same Spirit, and there are It is obvious. Lumen Gentium, in article varieties of ministries but the same Lord, 18, the very first paragraph in its section and there are varieties of workings but the on the hierarchical structure of the Church, same God who works all things in all;" or acknowledges that Jesus Christ established Ephesians 4:12 which speaks of charisms a variety of ministries in the Church. But of the Spirit given so that the to- for some reason this obvious theological gether form a unity in the work of service principle, grounded in the New Testament, in building up the Body of Christ. Ministry has not been assimilated and has not be- is a means to mission. Or finally, Lumen come part of the intuitive theological think- Gentium, article 30, one of the most practi- ing of many people in the Catholic Church, cal statements pastorally speaking in the including some of us who have the responsi- Council documents: "Pastors also know bility of leadership. In our common every- that they themselves were not meant by day language-and often that is much more Christ to shoulder alone the entire saving important than the language we use in mission of the Church toward the world. theology books or in Church documents On the contrary, they understand that it is where we make a kind of mental adjust- their noble duty so to shepherd the faithful ment and say: "Now we have to be on and recognize their services and charismatic guard and think theologically,"-when we gifts that all according to their proper roles use the term 'ministry,' we say there is may cooperate in this common undertaking really only one ministry in the Church and with one heart." we mean the ordained ministry. Yet it violates a principle which is thoroughly After all, as it says very clearly both in established not only in the New Testament chapter 2 and chapter 4 of Lumen Gentium, but in the documents of Vatican II; namely, the mission is given to the whole People of that there is a variety of ministries within God and this is meant to apply to , the Church. I would urge you very much to religious and clergy. There is then a variety pursue this question, in Raymond Brown's of ministries within the Church and each very popular paperback, Priest and , ministry of whatever nature it might be, which will not only indicate the biblical whether administration or teaching or ex- basis more fully than I have, but will also hortation or preaching or healing, is to be 18 CATHOLIC LAWYER, AUTUMN 1972 tested and to be evaluated in terms of its and desires to be united in glory with her effectiveness in facilitating and implement- king." That is why, in the report I referred ing the one mission of the Church. to, the theology of the ordained ministry is very closely linked with the theology of The third thesis: The mission and min- the ministry of Jesus Christ, particularly istries of the whole Church are in turn with the ministry as it is expressed in some functions of the mission and ministry of of the key New Testament titles-high Jesus Christ. Notice what I have done in priest, suffering servant of God, and so moving from thesis two to thesis three. In forth. thesis two I am saying that ministry is a function of the mission of the Church. In The fourth thesis: The mission of the thesis three I take it a step further and say Church as a participation in the mission that the mission of the Church with all of its of Jesus Christ is three-fold. So again the ministries is in turn a function of the mis- fourth thesis is a specification of the third. sion and ministries of Jesus. This is a point This three-fold mission is traditionally ex- which is clearly developed in the report of pressed by three Greek words: kerygma, the subcommittee on the theology of the koinonia, diakonia. Putting them into En- priesthood. It is so obvious that there is no glish, the mission of the Church as the mis- insistence here upon proving it, that is, sion of Jesus is to be the one movement, the proving the connection between the mission one community, the one agency, call it what and ministry of the Church and the mission you will, which in season and out of season and ministry of Jesus. But Lumen Gentium is the spokesman or indeed the spokes- in article 5 very nicely outlines that rela- woman, the herald, the proclaimer of the tionship. In fact, it sets up a kind of parallel good news of the coming Kingdom of God. saying that the Church is to the Kingdom as To put it in political language: the Christian Jesus is to the Kingdom, that is, the mission movement is the only movement in the and ministries of Jesus are. And Jesus in- world which, in the name of Jesus Christ, augurated the Kingdom, says article five of holds before the world the hope of the final Lumen Gentium, by preaching the good coming together of mankind, of the final news and by revealing it to mankind by his humanization of the world, if you will, of word, by his works and by his presence. the final perfection of justice and peace and Let me quote a portion of article five: "The brotherhood and truth and the other values Church, consequently, equipped with the that are mentioned in Gaudium et Spes gifts of her founder and faithfully guarding (art. 39). The Church is the one movement his precepts of charity, humility and self- which proclaims its hope in the fulfillment sacrifice, receives the mission to proclaim of the Kingdom of God in the name of and to establish among all peoples the King- Jesus Christ. The Church is the one move- dom of Christ and of God. She becomes on ment which links the coming of the King- earth the initial budding forth of that king- dom of God inextricably with what Jesus of dom. While she slowly grows the Church Nazareth did, with what he preached and strains toward the consummation of the with what he accomplished in his death and kingdom and with all her strength hopes , specifically in his new and MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH decisive release of the Holy Spirit which is apathy. And so when we as lawyers or when the 'stuff' of the Kingdom of God, which is we as theologians or when we as profes- already the pledge of future glory, which is sional resource persons in the Church are the anticipation of the final Kingdom. concerned about the question of reinstitu- tionalization (and that is what it is, it is not Secondly, koinonia. The Church is re- a deinstitutionalization) or restructuring, it sponsible by mission to be a credible antici- is always in terms of somehow participating pation, an anticipatory sign of what it more effectively in the mission of the preaches. It is not enough to say "Jesus is Church which in turn is a participation in Lord;" the Kingdom is coming in his power the mission of Jesus. And that mission, for and through the Spirit. But the Church has schematic purposes and only for this additional mission to be a credible schematic purposes, can be understood sacrament of the kingdom, as Lumen as a mission of proclamation, a mission of signification, Gentium says in the very first article of a mission, if you will, of facilitation. chapter one, that Christ is in the Church as in a sacrament. And so the Church by Of that three-fold mission of the Church mission is responsible to show forth the or of these three aspects of the one mission presence of the Spirit, to show forth the of the Church, the only aspect which is dis- presence of the Kingdom in its lifestyle and tinctively Christian is the first. Let's take that is, again, why ecclesiastical reform, them in reverse order. The Christian move- structural reform, legal reform in the ment: Christian people are not the only peo- Church is not simply a matter of political ple concerned about justice, although some- housekeeping. It is not simply a matter of times the rhetoric of the prophetic model ecclesiastical furniture shuffling. It is gives that impression. Our commitment to directly related to the credibility of the justice does not distinguish us. If there is no Church as a sign of the Kingdom of God, as commitment to justice, we are highly un- a credible, anticipatory sign of that King- distinguished in a different way. Secondly, dom. koinonia is not distinctively Christian. The And, finally, diakonia. The Church is a Christian community is not the only com- movement which not only proclaims the munity. The Christian community is not the lordship of Jesus, not only offers itself as only place where the Spirit takes hold and a kind of anticipatory sign of what Jesus renews hearts and renews structures and preached and embodied and released, but makes the Kingdom of God at least in some also is a movement which freely and volun- way transparent. The one aspect of the mis- tarily and, we hope, generously allocates sion of the Church which is distinctively and distributes its resources to help in what- Christian is its announcement both in word ever way it can to hasten the coming of that and in sacrament that the Kingdom of God Kingdom. It does this by moving into those has come in a decisively new way and will, crisis areas where the Kingdom of God is in fact, come in all its fullness at the end, suppressed or blocked out and obstructed, in and through the ministry of Jesus of that is, where there is still injustice, where Nazareth, that the Christian community is there is still hostility, where there is still the only place where the lordship of Jesus 18 CATHOLIC LAWYER, AUTUMN 1972 of Nazareth is proclaimed and celebrated in integrator of charisms. Of course, he has word and sacrament. We say that ministry many other tasks to be a Christian, to pre- is a means to mission and mission is a par- side over the celebration of the , ticipation in the mission of Jesus. This is etc., but the distinctive task of the ordained what we are talking about. The movement ministry, the pastorate, office of the episco- that we are involved in, the movement pate, the overseer, is somehow to coordinate whose structural and institutional expres- and to integrate all the other ministries and sion we are interested in, is a movement gifts and charisms. That is the distinctive which alone history proclaims the lordship task, it seems to me. And more and more of Jesus as the lynchpin of the coming of as I do research in the area of ordained min- the Kingdom of God and which as part of istry, the more I read, whether it is Kasper its essential, but not distinctive, mission or Schillebeeckx or Rahner or the American offers itself as credible anticipation of this Bishops' statement on celibacy or several Kingdom of God and allocates its resources other documents including the one we sub- freely and generously to facilitate the com- mitted to the American Bishops, I am con- ing of that Kingdom which it has already vinced that the distinctive aspect of proclaimed in word and sacrament. ordained ministry is pastoral leadership. It is not so much the cultic in itself or spiritual The fifth thesis: It is a mistake to isolate direction or the other things I mentioned, the ordained ministry of priest, bishop and but that which subsumes them all and then pope as the dominant and almost exclusive makes that ministry distinctive is the min- ministry of the Church. The task of or- istry of pastoral leadership which is a dained ministry is not to suppress the other ministry of integrating and coordinating the ministries but to integrate them and co- charisms. It requires a very special kind of ordinate them. I refer you again to Lumen person or team to exercise that kind of Gentium, article 30, and I would also refer ministry. you to Christus Dominus, article 17. In fact, most of the second chapter of Christus The sixth thesis: The lay apostolate and Dominus, the decree on the bishop's pas- the various ministries this might encompass, toral office, is a modern day job description for example, teaching, counselling, social of the office of bishop. And if one accepts work, administration, even fund raising, are the theological hypothesis, which I think is not simply a participation in the ministry a reasonably well grounded one, that for all of the hierarchy or clergy in the manner of practical purposes bishop and par- . The lay apostolate in the ticipate in the same kind of ministry, then '40's and '50's was a very liberal and pro- that second chapter of Christus Dominus is gressive movement for its time. But by just as much a job description for any pastor theological hindsight the notion of Catholic in the Church. And that distinctive ministry Action, that is "the participation of the laity of the pastor, that distinctive ministry of the in the ministry of the hierarchy," is really bishop is a ministry of the overseer, that is, based on bad ecclesiology. The point is that of the one who alone stands in the midst of there is only one ministry that all of us the community, as a sign of unity and as an participate in and that is the ministry of MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH

Christ. The mission has been given to the the beginning. It seems that we are coming whole People of God to be exercised in more and more to an understanding of the different ways. I have already said in the distinctive ministry of the ordained as a preceding thesis, and I am going to come ministry of pastoral leadership, not neces- back to it in the next thesis, that there is a sarily leadership, "pastoral" can have distinctive ministry which cannot be ex- a much broader meaning than that. But the punged from the Church, a distinctive min- distinctive ministry is a ministry of pastoral istry of the pastorate conferred by ordina- leadership. And I would point out that tion. However, we cannot allow emphasis Lumen Gentium in the beginning of the on that distinctive ministry to suppress the chapter on hierarchy (article 18) reminds equally Christ-instituted ministries that we us that Christ instituted a variety of minis- call teaching, counselling, social work and tries so that the Church might on the one so forth. The lay apostolate is not simply a hand "freely" and on the other hand "in participation in the ministry of the hierarchy good order" pursue its goal which is the or clergy in the manner of Catholic Action Kingdom of God and . And that is but, quoting from Lumen Gentium, article the issue. How do you balance the free pur- 33, it is rather a participation in the saving suit of mission and the pursuit of mission mission of the Church itself, through bap- which is ordered? How do you balance off tism and - not through ca- the institutional and the charismatic? nonical deputation. Through and In thesis five I said we should be careful confirmation all are commissioned to that about exaggerating the institutional to the apostolate by the Lord himself. By way of point of suppressing the charismatic. Is that obiter dicta-do you recall the argument a hypothetical worry? Not at all. At the at Vatican II about whether or not a bishop Second Vatican Council there were bishops enters the episcopal college by ordination who actually argued that the age of the () or by some legal deputa- charisms was over. You can understand tion? And how the issue was resolved on why some would have been very slow to the side of ordination? This principle fol- accept the ongoing presence of charismatic lows the same kind of spirit. The participa- gifts. That introduces a certain surprise ele- tion in the mission of the Church, the ment in the life of the Church and for those integration of the various ministries into the who prefer a surprise-free environment mission of the Church, is not the fruit of charisms can be threatening. But at the legal or canonical concessions, but rather Council the issue was resolved in favor of originates in sacramental commission. the view that the charismatic gifts are still The seventh thesis: It is a mistake to sup- given to the Church. The Spirit breathes press the distinctive ministry of the ordained where he wills, not only in certain institu- for the sake of exalting or preserving the tionalized conduits but, in fact, "where he charismatic ministries. There is a distinctive wills." At the same time the opposite temp- ministry conferred by ordination, it seems to tation is to say, "Well, the Spirit breathes me, and again I refer you to some of the where he wills. Let's allow him to breathe authors and documents that I mentioned at where he wills and let's not put any kind 18 CATHOLIC LAWYER, AUTUMN 1972

of restraint or any kind of institutional re- in this country, you will agree there is much striction on the presence of the Spirit." And polarization. I think we would have to admit that is just as corrosive of the mystery of that oftentimes the conflict is not simply old the Church in its mission as the other. Why? against young or liberal against conservative Back to a fundamental principle in the first but the difference is much more basically part of my paper. Ministry is a means to the between those with very different under- end of mission. Thinking only sociologically standings of the purpose of the Church. So for the moment, how can a movement as the first component of effective leadership widespread and as disparate and as his- is goal emphasis. torically deeply rooted as the Christian Another component of effective leader- movement, the Church, expect to fulfill a ship is what is called in the socio- specific mission if it has no way of bringing psychological trade work facilitation. I together its resources, its charisms, its prefer to speak of it more simply as motiva- talents, its personnel in order to work more tion or inspiration. Effective leadership effectively for that mission? What is socio- must not only define and sharpen the goals logically sensible becomes theologically im- or the mission of the Church but also and perative. The sacrament of is more importantly actively encourage people precisely the gift to the Church, a ministry to pursue those goals. Oftentimes those hav- of order for the sake of facilitating, not ing pastoral leadership will be damned with suppressing, the charisms, for the sake of faint praise when persons will say about facilitating, not suppressing, the freedom them, "Well, at least he doesn't bother us. that belongs to the whole People of God in He lets us do what we want." There is more the fulfillment of their task. to leadership than that. There is the positive element of encouragement. The The eighth thesis: There are several com- ministry of encouragement is part ponents of effective leadership performance. of the distinctive ministry of the pastoral office. I am Every leader must be able effectively to not say- ing we need an indiscriminate cheerleader define and sharpen the goals of his organiza- who, no matter how tion or community or agency. Translating it far behind or how dis- oriented the team might into more theological language, this minis- be, has us still try of leadership that I am talking about is cheering, cheering, cheering. Nor do we need someone just to restrain and to restrict, a ministry which carries with it the specific to caution and to condemn. The pastoral burden and the specific responsibility of leader must seek out those areas of the constantly holding high the vision of the apostolate, those functionings of ministry goals of the Christian movement which is which are really facilitating the mission the hastening of the coming of the Kingdom of the Church and positively of God. What this distinctive ministry does and actively en- courage those ministries. is constantly keep before the attention of the community what its purpose is. Again, is If there is any failure in contemporary that yawn provoking? I think that if you leadership in the Church it would seem to reflect on your own experience, reflect on me that it is on these two counts, a failure the experience of the Catholic community to define and sharpen the goals and then, MISSION AND PRIESTHOOD IN THE CHURCH even more practically, a failure to provide Church's pursuit of justice and her involve- encouragement. ment in the transformation of the earth are a constitutive dimension of the preaching of The ninth thesis: The various ministries . of human and social service are not to be subsumed under the heading of pre- And, finally, the tenth thesis: Every min- evangelization but rather are part of the istry is a form of Church life serving the essential ministry of the whole Church. See essential function of the Church. This is Gaudium et Spes, article 43, for example. very similiar to thesis two. Form follows This thesis is very much like the one on function, according to a basic architectural Catholic Action. We tended to domesticate principle. Indeed form serves function and the lay apostolate under the heading of not vice versa. The freedom to abolish old Catholic Action and so too we have tended forms, to create new forms and to adopt and theologically to domesticate the social modify existing forms of ministry is essen- apostolate under the heading of pre- tial in order to facilitate the function of the evangelization, to push it beyond the community within which the particular min- perimeter of the essential mission of the istry exists. Church. To say that it is 'pre' means it is something you do before you do the real This, it seems to me, is the special, al- work of preaching the gospel. And again I though not exclusive, responsibility of the need only point to the synodal documents to Canon Law Society of America. As an out- show the contrast. My bias is certainly on sider, but a friendly one, I should like to the side of the document on world justice, congratulate you for what you have already at least on this issue when it says that the accomplished in this very area.