President’s Piece for Peace
Greetings brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I recently attended a conference on "Church and the Life of the Baptized." While there were many good points and helpful concepts presented, I was constantly distracted by the terminology I heard being used. It might be splitting hairs, but it reminded me that the language we choose to use has an impact on what we think and do, especially when it comes to the mission of the Church.
The buzz-word terminology being used concerning the Church today puts me much more in mind of a football game than the Community of the Forgiven. Terms such as coach, team, leader, and others are used frequency. Yet, I hear nothing of Pastor, teacher, mother, father, catechism, or catechist. I point this out because borrowing from culture the language we use in the church might connect us to the present, but it often cuts us off from the past and endangers the future. In the age of adding "I guess so" to every other sentence, contemporary terminology purposely leaves room for the broadest interpretation and open definition. Specific language, on the other hand, has the benefit of being refined and directing us to the very point we are making. When conversing about the significant matters of the Church and the life of the Baptized, the less confusion the better.
In using the language of those who preceded us, we bring the treasures of the past into the present and set the stage for a continuous flow into the future.
Let me give you an example. The Word of God teaches us the language of forgiveness in Jesus Christ. In learning and using it, the content of the forgiveness language of the past becomes ours today, preparing us to carry the pure Gospel forward into the future. And not just in the Church, but in the home as well. At home is where we are taught the forgiveness language, learning and using it so that we approach each day with a functional constancy. Bringing the past with us is vital in shaping the paths we will walk in the future.
After all, the language of forgiveness is the best language we could ever use, but it is not in our nature. Learning the specific terms used in communicating Christ's forgiveness takes teaching, learning, and practice. But it is a worthwhile effort. Well practiced, there is no confusion with the words Pastor, teacher, mother, father, catechism, or catechist. We know what each of them means and how each functions within the life of the Baptized. I emphasize “mother and father” because they are the teachers, or “catechists,” of their children when they use the language of forgiveness in the home. When the home teaches the language of that which came before it, it allows for the continuation of that language through the lives of their children, grandchildren and beyond. When our language is the language of forgiveness, we pass on the eternal gift in Christ Jesus.
I will continue these thoughts in the next IDE Today, exploring and sharing with you the best place for the language of forgiveness to be heard, learned, used, and expressed. I will emphasis not only the place, but also the resources we have to use that the Divine Language may have its way in our lives at Church.
Until then, honor the language of the past and use it in the present for the sake of a peaceful future. Use the language of the Church when speaking about and serving in the Church. It has no replacement for it knows terms and words that the culture cannot understand or define. The blessed language of the Church communicates and bestows what it promises, i.e. forgiveness of sins.
Rev. Brian Saunders, President IDE
