Since Vatican II, even the Roman Catholic Church does not identify “the Church” with an institution or hierarchy. The Church is the people of God, the Body of Christ, the assembly of all believers. This concept of “the Church” is almost universally accepted throughout Christendom, and it is this concept of church we are discussing here.
As catholics (Protestant catholics, Orthodox catholics, or whatever), we state our most important beliefs about the church every time we say the Nicene Creed: “We believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church.” Let’s take a look at these four characteristics or marks of the church (in reverse order, to leave the most contentious for last).
We have said quite a bit already (in our discussion of Holy Orders above) about what we mean by an “apostolic” church. First, it is one whose sacraments are administered by clergy ordained by bishops validly consecrated in the apostolic line of succession. Second, an apostolic church is one whose teaching and practice is consistent with the gospel received by the early church from the apostles themselves.
What do we mean when we say the church is “catholic”? For the most part, that’s what this whole paper is about. A church is “catholic” if it holds to the “catholic” beliefs which have been believed everywhere, always, and by all.
The church is holy first and foremost because it is the Body of Christ, made up of his people, the members of his body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is also holy in that it is a source of grace to its members, enabling them to grow in holiness. Any church capable of producing St. Francis of Assisi, Dorothy Day, Billy Graham, Oscar Romero, Ron Sider, Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Pope John XXIII has something going for it.
This is the hard part. Every time we say the Creed, we express our belief in “one” church. Yet Christendom is split into thousands of pieces. At this very time, some of these pieces are warring against others — the Orthodox Serbs against the Roman Catholic Croats in Bosnia, the Presbyterian Orange Scotch-Irish against the Roman Catholic nationalists in Belfast. How can we say the church is “one”?
We say so because God does. We are all part of the Body of Christ. Unfortunately, parts of the body are warring against each other. The hatreds are cancers within the one body. They harm not only the members, but ultimately the body itself — Christ. Oh, for a cure for this cancer! Inasmuch as the individual churches fail to instruct, inspire, and enjoin their members to cease the violence, to forgive, and to love one another, to that extent are they failing their mission. Of course there has been injustice — and continues to be. But injustice is not an excuse for hatred. Our church is founded on injustice. Christ’s resurrection was a victory of love over the most unjust act in history — the crucifixion. We celebrate that unjust act with the sign of the cross, with the crucifix on our altars, and in the Eucharist we share. How can we reject the Great Commandment to love because we have been subjected to some “injustice.” We knew it would happen. Jesus promised us it would happen. “You will be hated for my sake.” “Blessed are those who suffer persecution for righteousness’ sake.” And what did Jesus tell us to do about it when it happens? Fight? Hate? Kill our persecutors? No. “Love your enemies.” “Overcome evil with good.” “Take up your cross and follow me.” His cross was not just. Why should we expect that ours will be? No. We are to meet injustice with love, as he did. Of course it’s not easy. But why aren’t all our churches telling their people at least to try?
The unity we pray for, the unity God wants, the unity Jesus prayed for before he died, it is not a mere institutional unity. It is a unity of the heart and mind. Does God want a unity in which everybody submits to the authority of the pope? No! God wants a unity in which everybody submits to the love of Christ!
The monarchical church was never the model. It was not the model the apostles left us. The apostolic church was collegial, rather than hierarchical. For matters of great import, such as whether Gentiles could be baptized, the apostles met and reached consensus. But on most matters, they were autonomous. Bishops were free to establish liturgies compatible with the customs and ethnic makeup of their churches. Some of the apostles traveled to the far east, establishing churches very different from those in the west. The focus of the church was in Jerusalem, then Antioch, then Alexandria, then Byzantium, and eventually in Rome. But always it was collegial. The bishops were equal. Of course, they were never really equal in influence. That can’t be legislated. Some were always more persuasive than others, or more carefully listened to. In the Jerusalem church, it seems to have been James, the brother of the Lord, who always had the last word. Peter, of course, had enormous influence, and was chief spokesman for the apostles in the period immediately after Pentecost. But he was not ruler of the church. Can you imagine Paul admonishing Peter the way he did if Peter were the pope?
Neither was the monarchical church the model Jesus left us. He gave us his vision of ministry, authority, and hierarchy at the last supper when he washed the feet of the apostles. No, the unity we must try to restore is one in which the churches share a common “catholic” faith, preach a common gospel, share a common love, and revel in their diversity with respect to everything else.
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