Author: Diocesan

In 1959, Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council. Unlike previous Church councils, this one was not convened in order to combat a heresy in the Church. Rather John XXIII believed it necessary for the Church to face the challenges of the modern world. Little did he know how challenging that modern world would become in the next few decades.

Many scholars believe that, out of all the documents produced by the Council, Lumen Gentium (Light for the Nations) is likely one of the most important. One thing to keep in mind when studying church documents such as this, is that the Church, with its 2000 year history, tends to move slowly. That is, even 50+ years later, Catholic (both religious and lay) are still mining the riches of Vatican II, including Lumen Gentium.

Douglas Bushman says that the document has four clear areas of theological interest:

1) As Christ is light for all the nations, so the Church is called to bring that light to all of mankind.

2) “Light for the nations” is a theme that links the Old and New Testaments. Jesus, the light of the world (Jn 8:12), fulfills Israel’s vocation to be light for the nations (Is 42:6 and 49:6), as Simeon proclaimed (Lk 2:32). This highlights the unity of God’s plan of salvation, Israel’s privileged place, and the fulfillment of the plan in Christ.

3) The Church relates to Christ as John the Baptist to Jesus. John is not the light; his mission is to bear witness to the light (Jn 1:7-9). So too, the Church exists in order to bear witness to Christ. The Church makes her own the spirituality of the Baptist, who said, referring to Jesus: “He must grow greater, I must grow less” (Jn 3:30).

4) The preaching and life of the Baptist caused the religious leaders to ask him: “What do you say of yourself” (Jn 1:22). This is precisely the question that the Church responded to at Vatican II: Ecclesia, quid dicis de te ipsa(“Church, what do you say of yourself?”). As John defined himself in relation to Christ, so does the Church.

Let’s face it: reading Church documents like this can be intimidating. They are full of theological and philosophical language that most of us haven’t encountered since college, if ever. These documents have boatloads of references and footnotes. They are definitely not “lite” reading.

However, these documents are not just meant for priests or bishops. They are not musty, dusty writings hidden in deep Vatican corridors. They are meant for all of us. Again, when Pope XXIII convened Vatican II, he knew the Church was going to face many challenges. And he was right! As Catholics living in a time in history where Christians are heavily persecuted around the world, where the practice of the Catholic faith must go “underground” in many places, and where our most basic understanding of humanity, sexuality, Scripture and faith are challenged on a daily basis, all Catholics need to know what the Church teaches and how to convey that when necessary.

The opening paragraph of Lumen Gentium reads:

Christ is the Light of nations. Because this is so, this Sacred Synod gathered together in the Holy Spirit eagerly desires, by proclaiming the Gospel to every creature,(1) to bring the light of Christ to all men, a light brightly visible on the countenance of the Church. Since the Church is in Christ like a sacrament or as a sign and instrument both of a very closely knit union with God and of the unity of the whole human race, it desires now to unfold more fully to the faithful of the Church and to the whole world its own inner nature and universal mission. This it intends to do following faithfully the teaching of previous councils. The present-day conditions of the world add greater urgency to this work of the Church so that all men, joined more closely today by various social, technical and cultural ties, might also attain fuller unity in Christ.

This is what we are meant to do: bring the Gospel and the light of Christ to all nations. You and me: the ordinary folks who sit in the pew. This is not a document written for a bunch of cardinals; it’s meant for us. We MUST show the whole human race the light of Christ: with great urgency.

Maybe you’re not going to sit down tonight and read Lumen Gentium from one end to the other. But you should and can read it. Take it a paragraph at a time. Ask yourself, “How is God speaking to me here? What am I meant to do with this? If I truly believe that Christ is the light of the world, what can I do to make His light shine even brighter in my little corner of that world?”

The legacy of a saint is two-fold. First and foremost, a saint points us to God. A saint (who is nothing more than a sinner who refused to give up) shows us that holiness is possible in this hot mess of a world we live in. Second, a saint’s life illustrates for us that holiness does not exist only for cookie-cutter people, stamped out on some sort of heavenly assembly line. Every saint is holy in their own way, reflecting an aspect of God that is eternally unique.

As the world awaits the canonization of Mother Teresa this Sunday, we reflect on her legacy. One of the unique aspects of Mother Teresa’s life is that she was called to work in Kolkata, a city in India that teems with poverty, entrenched in rigid social standards. She founded an order of nuns from whom she demanded much, all based on a heart for serving the poor.

It is a mistake for us to look at any saint and say, “That’s what God wants me to do too!” God has a unique plan for each of us. While He does call women to become Missionaries of Charity, He does not call them to be replicas of Mother Teresa. Indeed, when she was approached, either in person or via mail, by people who wanted to come and work with or join her order, she often told them, “Find your own Kolkata.” That is, there are people in need of our help regardless of where we are, and we should start there.

That being said, there were and are many who volunteer with the Missionaries of Charity around the world. What is that experience like? Reporter Anna Capizzi tells of the volunteer life.

Renee Roden, a student from Notre Dame, said her two month stint began with a barrage of sights, sounds and smells that is the city of Kolkata. Other volunteers expressed this:

Navigating through the chaotic, dusty streets thronged with people, “poverty hits you in the face, right along with discomfort,” said Eloisa Greenwald, a missionary with Catholic Christian Outreach, who volunteered for three weeks in 2015.

Volunteers find it difficult to see so many families and individuals sleeping along the road and “even more difficult to understand the greater complexities of poverty” and not become “desensitized,” said Jenna Ahn, who spent two summers volunteering.

The volunteers begin their day the same way the Sisters do: rising at 6 a.m. for Mass, and then a simple breakfast before heading out into the city to work. Ahn’s day was spent like this:

The volunteers split into groups and travel to the different homes the sisters have throughout the city. Each home has its own apostolate, a specific purpose.

At Shanti Dan, the home for women and girls with disabilities, Ahn spent mornings with the girls “singing, dancing, mediating, working on nonverbal modes of communication, learning colors and numbers, watering plants in the garden.”

“Over two years, the girls at Shanti Dan taught me so much more about love and acceptance than I could ever repay,” said Ahn.

Other volunteers assist with manual labor. To do laundry by hand “hit me hard,” Greenwald said. “You’re getting right in the dirty of things — carrying buckets of water, wringing out loads.”

As one might imagine, the experience can be overwhelming for people accustomed to the rather pampered life of the developed world. Yet, Mother Teresa’s legacy is that we never forget those who live on the margins, in the shadows, those who cannot care for themselves, who are deemed “unworthy” by others. Mother Teresa (and by extension, the Sisters she founded) was tough and practical, plain and prayerful. She knew want God wanted of her: to care for Christ in His most distressing disguise amongst the poorest of the poor. This, if we act upon it, will be her saintly legacy.