CHURCH AS COMMUNITY

CommunityJIIUI II lhe fru, rin,. WI art Ih.brlnches. We be.r Irull by 1I'lngJesUI' words .nd doing lhe Filher'.win.

Our experience of a family, a sports team,or a group of people working togethertoward a shared goal gives us a sense ofunity. We become part of something largerthan us; at the same time, we experience thevaluable contribution we can make asindividuals. The image of church ascommunity communicates these samenotions.

Community is an important and popularimage of the church. Jesus himselfdescribed our mystical union with him andwith one another when he said:

Iam the vine,You are the branches.Whoever remains in me, with me in him,Bears fruit in plenty;For cut off from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5

The Lord wants us to be one with him and,because of this union, to be one with others.The second chapter of The Constitution onthe Church discusses the image of thePeople of God. The church is a fellowshipof life, charity, and truth that Jesus uses forthe redemption of all (No.9). Paul teachesthat all of us are members of the Lord's

body, each with individual talents andduties, but all united in the Holy Spirit toJesus, who guides us.

The image of the community underscoresour common fellowship in the power of theSpirit. It emphasizes common goals, ideals,and intimate sharing. We form a communitywith a life, tradition, and story of its own.We are responsible for continuing the Lord'swork of building up the community andserving others.

The image of mystical communion showshow the church is the presence of Christ inthe world through a community of faith.The church is a visible community made upof united individuals. The invisible Lordworks through his body to continue his workof redemption. The Spirit forms the churchinto the People of God.

Church as Community or MysticalCommunion. Most of us know what itmeans to be a member of a close family orto play together on a team or to participatewith friends in common activity. We sensea spirit of unity. We feel part of somethinglarger than ourselves, but we know that asindividuals we have an important part toplayas well. The image of the church ascommunity evokes these same kinds offeelings and understandings.

Community is a popular image of thechurch today. Chapter 2 of the Constitutionon the Church discusses the church as thePeople of God with a certain common taskand mission. St. Paul also considered this animportant metaphor when he referred to thechurch as the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12: 12-30). What Paul had in mind is that we aremembers of Christ's body, each with ourown talents and duties but all united in theHoly Spirit to the head Jesus Christ whoguides our work. Christian art has oftendepicted this image with a picture of a vine.All the members (the branches) receive theirlife from the true vine (Jesus). They are to

bear fruit by living Jesus' words and doingthe Father's will.

The image of the church as communitystresses the common fellowship of allbelievers who are united in faith by the HolySpirit. It emphasizes common goals, idealsand intimate sharing. These individualsform one community with a life, tradition, astory of its own. , The People of God whoare branches on the vine of Christ andmembers of his body are responsible forliving his life by serving each other andbuilding up the community.

Our first description of the church then, isthat it is the presence of Christ in the worldthrough a community of faith in him as Lordand savior. The church is a visiblecommunity made up of individuals who areunited as members of a body. Thesemembers are guided by the Lord as theycontinue his work in the world. TIle churchis like a vine whose branches derive theirlife from the risen Lord. They share acommon life and are one People of God.

Faith, Friendship and Service

The first model for our consideration is thatof community. Today it is not uncommonfor people to think first of a building whenthey hear the word "church." Or perhapsthey think of "going to church." The earliestmeaning of the word, however, described apeople of God. The church was the faithful.The New Testament uses many differentimages to describe the church, but the onethat has had the most lasting effect on thechurch's self-understanding is Paul'sdescription of the church as the body ofChrist. Paul was writing to the people livingin the city of Corinth. This was a seaportcity famous for its sexual immorality. Paulhad a great deal of success in thecommunity, but after he left, divisionsdeveloped within the Church. There werearguments over who was the most importantin the community.

Paul seeks to show them that in the church,all the various gifts and talents within thecommunity are for the good of the wholegroup:

There are many gifts by the same Spirit;there are different ministries but the sameLord; there are different works but the sameGod who accomplishes all of them ineveryone. To each person, the manifestationof the Spirit is given for the commongood ... But it is one and the same Spirit whoproduces all these gifts, distributing them toeach as he wills.

The body is one and has many members,but all the members, many though they are,are one body; and so it is with Christ. It wasin one Spirit that all of us, whether Jew orGreek, slave or free, were baptized into theone body. All of us have been given to drinkof the one Spirit. Now the body is not onemember, it is many. If the foot should say,"Because I am not hand I do not belong to thebody." Would it then no longer belong to thebody? If the ear should say, "Because I am notan eye I do not belong to the body," would itthen no longer belong to the body? If the bodywere all eye, what would happen to our hearing?If it were all ear, what would happen to oursmelling? As it is, God has set each member ofthe body in the place he wanted it to be. Thereare, indeed, many different members, but onlyone body...You then are the body of Christ. Every one of

you is a member of it (I Cor. 12:4-7, 12-18,27).

There are many important ideas in Paul'sImage:1. The Church is composed of a wide

diversity of people and gifts. Thisdiversity is an essential element in thechurch. Weare not to be clones of oneanother. Our unique gifts are for thegood of the entire community.

2. Although the Church is diverse in itsmembers, it is united by its Spirit. Thechurch is one, not because its membersare alike but because of their differencesare united by the Spirit at work in eachof them.

3. The church is the presence (the body) ofChrist on earth. The risen Lord needs

our bodies, hearts, courage, intelligence,goodness, generosity, care, to makehimself present through us.

4. Christ's body is made up of people whoare not all saints. Thus the church willbe a combination of human and divine.

The Spirit that unifies and inspires us is thedivine element, but the fragile sinful peoplewho get unified and inspired is the humanpart.

Paul's vision of the church is one in whichthe entire community through its unique andvaried gifts continues to make Christ presenton earth. Perhaps the best way to be part ofthis body of Christ is to come to recognizethe unique gifts that you have to offer, todevelop them and give them away. Towaste your gifts is to cheat not onlyyourself, but all who would be served bythem. Paul makes it clear that the greatestgift we can offer is that of ourselves, for thegreatest of all gifts is love.

The Church as the Christian community is tobe known and distinguished as a communityoflove.

This notion of the church as communityplaces special importance on the localchurch. The church is not only the pope andthe bishops; the church exists wherever thepeople of God come together in faith. Formost people this local experience of faithoccurs within the parish. It is within heparish that all the gifts of the communitymust be used for the good of the whole andall the needs of the community must beministered to.

Many people today are discovering thatsometimes the parish structure is too largefor the experience of Christian community.A growing movement in the church is theformation of small faith communities withinthe parish. These often meet for prayer,education, scripture, study or socialfunctions. Sometimes these groups willreflect the interests of the people involved:the peace and justice group, teen groups, the

elderly, the divorced or separated, thewidowed, etc.

Within the New Testament there are twoelements that especially characterize theChristian community. They are to be acommunity of friendship and a communityof service. Both of these elements arecritical. The first recognizes the basichuman need for friendship and socialrelationships. Thus parishes will sponsorathletic events, picnics, dances, teen clubs,etc. But the second element reminds us tomake sure that we serve those in need,especially the poor and the sick.

Finally, there is one last element to thechurch as community. The universal churchis also a "community" of faith. The bondsof the community are not social or personalbut spiritual. Christians are united with oneanother in a faith which transcends allboundaries of race, language, culture, ornationality. The spiritual connection issometimes referred to as the mystical bodyof Christ.

Church as Herald

HeraldJesus enlrusls hI. follower. 10preach Ihe gospel. 10 the four eer- ."ers of the earth.

A herald receives an official message andhas the mission to pass it on to others. Jesushimself was an extraordinary herald as hetraveled around the countryside proclaimingthe good news of God's reign. Hecommissioned his apostles to go to the fourcorners of the earth to preach the gospel andto baptize in the name of the Father, the Son,and the Spirit,

The church .must be a herald. This imagehighlights the word of God. Jesus expectshis community to continue to preach hisgood news of salvation and call people tofaith and repentance. In word and deed,each Christian must communicate Christ'smessage.

The Church as Herald

"Hark! The herald angels sing: glory to thenewbom king." Remember those heraldangels in the Christmas carol? The word"herald" refers to a messenger. The heraldangels brought the message of Christ's birthto the shepherds. This notion of proclaimingthe message of faith and the word of God isbehind the idea of the church as a herald.According t9 this model, the church isprimarily a proclaimer of the good news offaith in Jesus Christ.

This idea of the church has strong roots inthe Protestant traditions. The focus is placednot on the church itself, but on the word ofGod. This idea of church points away fromitself to Godts word. What is important isnot doctrines, laws, sacraments, or even thepeople themselves. The heart of the matteris the word of God proclaimed for all theworld to hear. This is the "evangelical"element of the church. This model of thechurch has al strong biblical basis. St. Paulwrites that "faith begins with hearing." Theearly church I saw much of its mission asproclaiming ~e good news. Today, we seethis mission being carried out by preachersand television and radio evangelists. Someof these men, like Billy Graham, havereached international fame.

. ~

The Catholic Church has recentlyrediscovered the importance of this model.More and more emphasis is being placed onthe Bible. Lay people are being encouragedto read and study it. (In the not too distantpast, it was almost unheard of for Catholiclaity to be encouraged to read the Bible.)The Catholic Church has developed its owntelevision evangelists and placed greateremphasis on the teaching and message ofJesus. This model places great emphasis on"evangelism": proclaiming the good newsof Jesus Christ. It is extremely important forthe church to find new and creative ways toevangelize: to proclaim the message in away that really affects the lives of itslisteners.

This model, like others, however, cannotstand on its own, especially for Catholics.Its emphasis on the word of God isextremely important, but it runs the risk ofsubstituting words for actions. It canproclaim God's reign without working tobuild that reign.Church as Herald. What would you do ifyou opened a letter from a prestigiousuniversity and read that you had beenawarded a generous four-year scholarship?After the initial shock wore off a bit, youwould want to share your good news withsomeone, your close friends, parents,classmates or teachers. The churchperforms a similar task of spreading joyfulgood news. This image of church asherald-one who receives an officialmessage and is given the mission of passingit on to others. Christians believe Jesus gavethe church this commission when heinstructed the apostles to baptize and teachin his name. The task of the church is toshare the good news that God will thesalvation of all people and has accomplishedthis through Jesus Christ.

This image of church as herald putsconsiderable emphasis on the word of God.The diagram for herald depicts a cross withone of the four gospels at each comer. Itstresses that the church is entrusted withpreaching the good news of Jesus Christ to

the four ends of the earth, and that Jesuscalls people to respond to his word in faithand come together in a community of fellowbelievers whose main task is to proclaim thegood news of God's kingdom.

Church as Institution, Magisterium, andHierarchy

As I symbol or luthorlly, I key calls10 mInd Ih. church's power 10ror.gIve sIn Ind dIrect IcUvltles In IheLord', nlme.

The Church Is, by Ihe will01Christ,Ih. IlIch,r or the Irulh. IIII her dUly10 glv' ull.flnce 10, and authorl.'allvely 10IIICh, Ihal Trulh whIchIsChrlsl HImself,Ind Ilso to deellreInd connrm by her luthorlly thoseprinciples or th' moral order whichhlv, theIr origin In human nllur,llself (Dec/'rlllon on R,"glous F,,,·dam, No, 14),

Instllullon

The next model is that of institution. Thismodel is the most dominant one in the mindsof many Catholics. When they think of thechurch, they think of the pope, the bishops,their pastor and priests, nuns, churchteachings, etc. These are all key ingredientsin the church as an institution. In saying thatthe church is an institution.,we mean simplythat it is an organization which has certainstructures, standards, teachings andauthority. In one sense it can be comparedwith IBM or General Motors. In order forcomputers and cars to be built is it necessaryfor there to be an organization or institutioncapable of getting the job done. Of coursethe goal of tlre church is vastly different thanthose -corporations, but the concept issimilar. A hugebody of peoplewith a goalmust have someorganization.

The Catholic Church has a hierarchicalstructure of authority. This hierarchy(literally, "sacred order") is built on thebishops and the pope. The bishops areconsidered to be successors to theapostles. The bishop or Rome, the pope,

is the "first among equals" and thesuccessor of Peter. In this sense, the popeis the head of the universal church. Thisdoes not mean that he is the bishop of allCatholics; rather, he is to ensure the unity ofthe church is matters of faith. Individualbishops have as their task teaching,celebrating the sacraments and governingthe church in the local dioceses. Bishopsalso teach as national bodies of bishops(e.g., the American bishops issued twoimportant documents in the 1980s: one onthe economy and the other on peace in anuclear age). The bishops, together with thepope as their head, govern the universalchurch as well. Bishops throughout theworld meet in synods in Rome on a regularbasis to discuss issues related to theuniversal church.

The official teaching of the church may becommunicated in a number of ways.Whenever a bishop preaches, he teaches onbehalf of the church. Local bishops mayalso issue pastoral letters to guide themembers of the church in matters of faithand morals. The pope may issue an apostolicletter or encyclical in order to communicatewith the universal church on a matter offaith and morals. The most authoritativeteaching of the church comes from anecumenical council which brings together allbishops tlrroughout the world (with theiradvisors). The most recent ecumenicalcouncil was Vatican II, held in the years1962-1965.

In essential matters of faith and morals, theteaching of the church is infallible(incapable of error). This infallibilitybelongs to the entire church whenever thebishops concur as a whole on a matter to bebelieved. It belongs also to the bishops inunion with the pope whenever they teachdefinitively on matters of faith and moralsand intend for such teaching to be infalliblydeclared. The pope also possesses infallibleteaching authority when he "proclaims witha definitive act that a doctrine of faith andmorals is to be held as such."

The teaching on infallibility is one of themost confusing and difficult in the church.For many people it is simply nonsense: Howcan any person or persons be infallible?Perhaps it should first be noted that the popeand bishops are fallible, that is, they arehuman beings capable of error. Theirinfallibility comes not from a divinelyinfused wisdom, but rather from the faith ofthe church. It is the faith of the church thatis guaranteed to be true. Put simply, thismeans that the church's most essentialteachings are not just opinions but reflectGod's revelation. For example, is Jesusreally Lord and Savior? Or is it somethingabout which we can change our minds? Thechurch says that his teaching (as well asothers) is infallibly true. It is not somethingthat we think is a good idea: it is part ofGod's revelation. The infallibility of thepope and bishops is limited to "matters offaith and morals" and reflects only thoseteachings, which are essential to the faith.The church also notes that a teaching of thepope is to be considered infallible only whendeclared as such. (The exercise of papalinfallibility has been extremely rare.)

Church as Institution. Everyorganization has an institutional aspect-aformal structure that enables it toaccomplish its many tasks. Catholicsbelieve that Jesus founded his church onPeter and the apostles, who derive theirauthority-an authority of service-fromJesus himself. Clearly appointed leadersand administrators ensure that the gospel ispreached authentically through the ages.Catholics believe that the pope is thesuccessor to Peter. Along with the otherbishops, he is a pastor or shepherd of soulswith the three-fold task of teaching,sanctifying, and governing through service.Ordained priests and deacons work with thebishops to serve God's people. .

When we emphasize the institutional aspectof the church, we focus on its external,visible organization: schools, churchbuildings, foreign missions, hospitals, retreatcenters and the life. Without clear lines of

authority, the many charitable activities thatgo along with preaching the gospel wouldnot get done. The church as institutiongoverns through service and sanctified(makes holy) by administering thesacraments and the sacramentals.

The magisterium, that is the officialteaching authority of the church, residing inthe pope and the bishops, has a vitalfunction. Our official teachers ensure theauthentic teaching of the gospel message.

An institution is a group or organization ofpeople structured in a formal way in order toensure that a job gets done.

The community of faith called the church isorganized to carry on the mission of JesusChrist. This society has its ordainedministers whose task, like the task of theinstitution itself, is to serve the membersthrough teaching, making holy and ruling.The supreme authority rests with the pope,the Vicar of Christ, who is joined with thebishops, the successors to the apostles.Priests and deacons work with their bishopsin serving God's people.

One symbol of the institution church isthat of a key. The key is a symbol ofauthority and calls to mind the church'spower to forgive sin and to teach and directvarious organizations and activities in theLord's name.

As institution the church teachesauthoritatively in matters of faith andmorals. Sharing the Light of Faith (theNational Catechetical Directory forCatholics of the United States) points out thevalue of this teaching role:

These teachings give the faithful assurance oftruth in their profession of faith and theiradherence to moral standards and ideas (No. 69).

The church as an institution also makesholy through the sacraments andsacramentals, and rules by serving allpeople.

The Church as Sacrament

Sacrament/Sign"Your light must shine In people'slight, so that, seeing your goodworks, they may give praise to yourFllher In heaven" (MIS:16).

When we igo to mass or celebrate thesacrament I of penance or receiveconfirmation, these are all signs of a deeperreality. They are sacraments. Sacramentsare signs which not only point to an invisiblereality (God's love and grace), but alsomake that reality present. Thus, at theEucharist, we believe that Christ is trulypresent to us. In penance God's mercy isreally given f() us. In confirmation the Spiritis truly given to us. The sacraments aresigns, but they are not just signs. God isreally presen~ in and through them.

The church is also a sacrament. It is notone of the seven official sacraments of thechurch, but a more basic sacrament. Thechurch is a sign of Christ present in theworld, but itl is more than just a sign. Tosome extent ~t truly is Christ present in theworld. (This idea is part of Paul's teachingon the body of Christ which we saw earlier.)

In the sacramental model, the church ismost fully and deeply itself in thecelebration of the sacraments. Althoughthe church is 60t limited to the sacraments, itis through them that the church expresses itsme~ng. It I is a e?-charistic co~unity inwhich one enters into a new hfe of faith(baptism) and lives in the Spirit of Christ(confirmation). It is a community of those inneed of healing (anointing the sick) andforgiveness (penance). It is a communityserved by those chosen for a special ministry

(holy orders) and symbolized by the love ofa man and woman in marriage (matrimony).

The sacramental model of the church is adistinctively Catholic one. Although theProtestant churches have sacraments (butnot all seven), this model is not one that fitstheir self-understanding very well.

The strength of this model is that it helpsChristians to develop a sense of spiritualityand identity through the sacraments. Thesesacraments continually get us in touch withthe most basic elements of faith. On itsown, however, this model can be cut offfrom the real world and the life of thechurch in the everyday experience of people.

Church as Sacrament/Sign. In theConstitution on the Church the SecondVatican Council offered this definition ofthe church:

By her relationship with Christ theChurch is a kind of sacrament or sign ofintimate union with God, and of the unity of allmankind. She is also an instrument for theachievement of such union and unity (No.1).

This definition highlights the sacramentalnature of the church. A sacrament is amystery, an outward sign which points tosome deeper, invisible reality.

Jesus is God's great sacrament. He is God-in-the-flesh. He was visible, hearable,touchable, human like us, an outward sign.In him God lived, invisible made manifest.His kind face, his forgiving words, hishealing touch showed the glory of God'slove. Jesus came as the sign of God's greatlove, how he understood and forgave humanfailure, all we have to do is look to Jesuswho said, "To have seen me is to have seenthe Father" (In 14:9).

But where is this Jesus today? Where canwe hear, touch and see the great sign ofGod's love? When Jesus died, rose fromdead, ascended into heaven to be glorified atthe right hand of the Father, he did not

abandon his people. He left another sign ofhis presence. This sign is the church-thesacrament of Jesus Christ As the Fatherlived in his Son Jesus, so Jesus lives in thechurch through the power of the HolySpirit

This reality is a mystery. Jesus is themystery of God made flesh, incarnate inhistory, his Body. The church derives itsvery life from the continuing presence of theLord after his resurrection. It is acommunity for, of and in Jesus Christ It isa living organism, united in the friendship ofthe Lord. All members are united in thiscommunity as sons and daughters of theFather.

Church as Sacrament/Sign. The SecondVatican Council taught that the church itselfis a sacrament:

By her relationship with Christ, theChurch is a kind of sacrament of intimate unionwith God, and the unity of all mankind, that isshe is a sign and an instrument of such union andunity (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church No1). '

A sacrament is a mystery, an outward signthat both points to and brings about somedeeper spiritual reality. Jesus himself isGod's prime sacrament. He was visible,human like us. Yet, he was extraordinary,because in him God actually lived. His kindface, forgiving words, and healing touchrevealed God's love for us because Jesus isGod-made-human.

The church is Jesus' body today. WhenJesus died, rose from the dead, and ascendedinto heaven, he did not abandon us. He leftanother sign of his presence-the church.The church, then, is the sacrament of JesusChrist, and outward sign of the Lord'spresence, but it can be sinful because of itshuman members. To be an authentic sign ofJesus to Christians and non-Christians alikethe members of the church must live up totheir identity as the Lord's presence in theworld.

Through its celebration of the sacraments,prayer, worship, good works, and sacrifices,the church shines with the light of Christ.Through its ministry forgiveness, forexample, the church serves as a beacon ofGod's reign, showing the Lord's love to theworld. When the church allows the Spirit oflove to burn brightly in its members, itbecomes a believable sign of God's reign toall people.

The Church as Pilgrim

PilgrimJesus promised to be with his 101·lowers during stormy limes.

tlAnd look, I 1m with you always;yes, to the end oIUm e."

- MaHhew 28:20

Life is a journey. Along the way youexperience adventures, meet friends,confront good and bad. But the journey isnot haphazard. You have a fmal destination.You are a pilgrim. So is the church. Jesushimself was a pilgrim as he traveled aroundPalestine, but his vision was steadily fixedon God's reign. He calls his church toremain faithful to him as it moves into anuncertain and at times even dangerous,future. He strengthens his church bypromising his continual presence.

Church as Pilgrim. Your life is not yetcomplete. In front of you, god willing, areexciting discoveries and adventures. Youhave a career to undertake, mends to meet,perhaps a family to raise. In short, you are atraveler in this life. You are a pilgrim.

The church is also a pilgrim. Although it isthe budding forth of God's kingdom onearth, its work is not yet complete. It is likea ship on a stormy sea which has not yetreached its final destination. Along the wayindividual members might sin and be

tempted to give up the journey, but truepilgrims know that they have the strength ofthe Lord to guide them on their journey. Itis the Lord who helps the members combatthe temptations within and without thecommunity ak he leads the community to itsdestiny.

This image of the church underscores thetruth that the church as pilgrim is goingsomewhere. I It has the continuing work ofremaining faithful to the Lord as it movesinto uncertain, even, at times dangerousfuture. But it has the confidence that theLord will help it keep steering in the rightdirection, correcting itself when it gets offcourse.

Church as Pilgrim. Life is a journey.Along the way you experience adventures,meet friends, confront good and bad. Butthe journey is not haphazard. You have afinal destination. You are a pilgrim. So isthe church. Jesus himself was a pilgrim ashe traveled around Palestine, but his visionwas steadily fixed on God's reign. He callshis church to remain faithful to him at alltimes even dangerous, future. Hestrengthens his church by promising hiscontinual pr1sence.

Church as Servant

ServantThe ehurc~ mUlt IIrve otherl .1 thelimb 01 God dId whtn ht give hll"fe for III people.

"Anyone who wlntl to becomeartlt lmong YDUmUlt be your .er·Yln~ Ind Inyont who wlnt. to beII,., Imong you mUlt be .tlve '0III," I

-Mlrk to:43

The final model of the church, the servantmodel, places its focus not so much onproclaiming God's work but on servingGod's people. In this context the goal ofthe church is to worlk.for love, justice andpeace in the world. Those who prefer thismodel believe that the church must "die toitself' and serve others. It takes seriouslythe mandate of Jesus in Matthew 25: "I washungry and you gave me to drink, naked andyou clothed me, a stranger and youwelcomed me, imprisoned and you visitedme." The church's mission is to place itselfat the service of those in need, especially thepoor and the oppressed.

According to this model of the church,proclaiming faith in Christ is more than amatter of words or even of God's word. It isfollowing the example of Jesus in reachingout to those in need.

This understanding of the church, hasgrown and developed immensely in the pastfew decades. The Catholic Church gave itofficial recognition when a Synod ofBishops in 1971 wrote: -

Action on behalf of justice andparticipationin the transformationof preachingof the gospel,or, in otherwords,of the church'smission for the redemption-of the human raceand its liberation from every oppressivesituation.

What the bishops were saying is thatredemption is more than a "spiritual" reality.An essential element in the church is tostrive for the liberation of the whole person.This cannot exclude the spiritual, butincludes the liberation from hunger, disease,homelessness, psychological oppression, etc.

In many parts of the world the servantchurch has become, by necessity, thedominant expression of the Catholic Church.This is most true in Central and SouthAmerica where countless millions ofCatholics live in dire poverty and oftenpolitical repression. From these areas thechurch has developed what is called a

theology of liberation. The focus of thistheology is application of the gospel to theneeds of the poor. The church hasdeveloped a "preferential option for thepoor" by which it evaluates political andsocial choices in tenus of their impact on thepoor. There has developed not only achurch on behalf of the poor but a church ofthe poor.

The servant model has grown tremendouslyin the past thirty years. However, it is notwithout its problems. The weakness of theservant model is the tendency to lose a senseof identity of faith. Christians must servethe world, but all people are called to do thisas well. The servant model cannot lose sightof Jesus Christ as the true liberator of humanbeings. Likewise, the reign of God willalways be much more than humanachievement or political and economicdevelopment.

Church as Servant. Who makes a goodclass .officer? Is it the person who onlyseeks the prestige of the office, or the onewho tries to use the office to help others? Doyou have much respect for an officer wholikes to dominate others? Probably not.Youprobably have more respect for theofficer who wants to serve fellowclassmates. We tend to have more respectfor elected leaders who use their office tohelp serve our needs and interests.

A valuable image of church is that ofservant. It reminds us that the church issupposed to follow in Jesus' footsteps. Hecarne as one "not to be served but to serve,and to give his life as a ransom for many"(Mt 20:28). When the apostles wanted toknow what it was like to be an apostle inJesus' kingdom, he washed their feet toshow them that "anyone who wants tobecome greaf among you must first be yourservant" (M~ 10:43). The church and itsmembers must be foot-washers.

The church as servant must serve others.It has a mission to heal and to reconcile asJesus did. It must feed the hungry, givedrink to the thirsty, welcome the stranger,clothe the naked, comfort the sick, visit theimprisoned. It must act out of motivationsof true concern and love, not out ofmotivations of personal gain or glory. Byserving others, the Body of Christ is a truesign of itself and others that the kingdom ofGod consist of concern for the least of God'schildren on a pilgrimage to the Father.

Church as Servant. A popular image of thechurch today is that of servant. The churchmust follow in the footsteps of the Master.He came as one "not to be served but toserve, and to give his life as a ransom formany" (Mt. 20:28). Jesus showed hisapostles what it meant to be a leader when,at the Last Supper, he washed their feet.Christians must do likewise.

Service is not optional for Christians. Thechurch has a mission to heal and reconcile asJesus did: to feed the hungry, give drink tothe thirsty, welcome the stranger, clothe thenaked, comfort the sick, visit theimprisoned. Love is the only motive forfollowers of Jesus. By serving others, thebody of Christ truly demonstrates God'sreign because it encompasses the lowly, thesuffering, and the poor. On its pilgrimage toGod, the church can only be a credible signof God's love by serving others. Heraldingthe gospel in word is not enough; servicebacks up the words with active love.