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December 1, 2020By F. DeKarlos Blackmon | Columnist
Over the course of the last election, the Christian faithful experienced great divisions among our communities. Seeing the varied political and ideological perspectives being broadcasted and boasted through various media, particularly social media, there is no doubt that many friendships and relationships have been affected by the postings of coworkers, friends and family members.
As the person responsible for the apostolates of life, charity and justice within our diocese, I receive “fan mail” from people throughout Central Texas and the country about their displeasure with the church’s response to one thing or another. In these letters I see further proof of the division among the faithful. We can agree to differ, but we cannot dupe ourselves into envisioning that any one of us possesses a monopoly on all that is true and correct, or that we possess such enlightenment that we have a right to hold in contempt the church or its institution as faithless. As we reflect on these harsh realities, I suggest we ask ourselves a very fundamental question: “How is my relationship with Jesus?”
Recently, I wrote a paper on co-inherence and perichoretic communion. Explaining co-inherence expounds on the reality that things existing in elemental relationship with each other are inherent components of each other. While the principal example of this is our understanding that God is represented by the Holy Trinity of God the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit, if we also understand the church is a communion of persons consciously in relationship with each other in response to God, we will also see co-inherence in terms of the perichoretic nature of the people of God, the Christian faithful. This is the same perichoretic communion as expressed by Christ in the Gospel, “…so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17:21). This perichoretic relationship is essential to the church as communion.
Deacon Michael Beauvais of St. Anthony Parish in Bryan recently remarked that “we are the things that we do” and that “life is the sum of the moments and movements of each day.” These thoughts caused me to reflect on just how much we need the Lord during these times of social unrest and political upheaval. If we fervently believe that our active participation in the Eucharistic celebration is “the participation of the People of God in ‘the work of God’” (Catechism, 1069), and that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a redeemed people” (1 Pt 2:9; cf. 2:4-5), then none of us can deny the responsibility to share with others the love God lavishes upon us. Again, we must ask ourselves, “How is my relationship with Jesus?”
The answer to the question could very well be to focus more on the ecclesiological concept of communion as founded in the Eucharist. Our belief in the centrality of the Eucharist exists in the ecclesial body of the church and is built up by the Eucharistic body of Christ. This ecclesiological concept should compel us even more to work together, interacting with one another in community through an authentic exercise of hospitality. The presence of Christ is made manifest throughout the church through the encounter, hospitality and accompaniment of all her members. So, despite faults and failings, we must witness to others the saving power of God, becoming visible signs of hope for the hopeless.
Let us endeavor to become caught up in realizing human sanctification and expressing God’s glorification in community. Believing is not an isolated activity because each believer is a link in the great chain of believers (Catechism, 166). We must continue to ask, “How is my relationship with Jesus, and am I ready for him when he comes?”
F. DeKarlos Blackmon, OblSB, is the director of the Secretariat of Life, Charity and Justice for the Diocese of Austin. Contact him at (512) 949-2471 or dekarlos-blackmon@austindiocese.org.