"Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and preach the kingdom of God.”
Luke 9:60 NKJV
We live in an ever-changing society where those left behind are often considered lost. As the very young say, he is a “boomer.” We are thus all urged to make some kind of change in order to keep up with the changing times, but it is also so that we do not miss the opportunities that life generously offers us. Although it is a constant struggle, living still remains exciting and can be an eternal springtime, if we know how to welcome the new without getting overwhelmed or falling apart like wineskins. Indeed, Jesus spoke of new wine needing new barrels (Mark 2:22), of the need to discern circumstances. On another occasion he affirmed that he came to give life in abundance or exuberance (John 10:10), and thus to give us the opportunity to dream and believe in a better world, including the church. Perhaps this is one of the great challenges of the current generations, called not to ignore the stimuli for a church in step with change, capable of being carried away by that Wind whose origin and destination is unknown, but whose passage is clearly recognizable. Then I wondered, given the wide panorama of realities different from each other if one does not change one's community (church) of belonging sooner who is not fulfilled.
Who has never thought of changing church because they are dissatisfied with the current state or simply because they are involved in some internal discord? Granted that there is no such thing as the perfect community, one hopes to live in the one that is closest to him or her, on a par with a family with its pros and cons. Sometimes one experiences conversion in one context, then decides to live one's journey elsewhere for many reasons. In no way do I intend by this reflection to endorse anyone's cravings for migration, nor to provide alibis for anyone else. Rather, I wish to offer a cue so that the conviction will mature that everything can get better, and above all that we should work on it, even when the most immediate solution would be to move on. And those who drop out feel like the would-be disciple invited to leave “the dead.” Yes, it is unquestionably true that any change requires renunciation and thus will cost effort, especially when different generations coexist within. The first to suffer is the conductor, who, caught up in the sheer volume of daily responsibilities, cannot get a clear view of what is going on. At the same time, prey to material management, he fails to notice the “alarm bells” of those who are experiencing the community in a state of enforced paralysis, while he would like to see his or others' potentials enhanced. Unable to do much, discontent creeps in and spreads as time passes.
How to do this I would not know. I would recommend asking ourselves what keeps us together when we don't get along, because the solution to the desire for change is not changing the structure of the Church, but being Church, changing as a Church all together. Every community should be a set table where everyone has a place, where even those who have nothing can sit with dignity and enjoy sharing. Although everyone will have his or her own “beam” in one eye that prevents him or her from seeing well, that “but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God” is the key. Our response to that mandate will enable us to look at today's challenges, including internal ones, without losing sight of the centrality of faith. Change should be part of our way of life. Every day, bringing its toil, it calls us to modify, renew, transform. I personally dream of a change that affects everything and everyone, from the organization of activities to spirituality; from the reform of ministry areas to the continuous conversion of those within those areas who witness their faith. People are needed who are able to adjust their mental maps to changing situations, to leave aside those projects that we often confuse with the Gospel. It is not a matter of doing things different from the past, but of changing our way of being. After all, to change is to grow. Let this desire for change then be a starting point.
Weekly Bible Reading Plan # 39
September 23 Song of Solomon 4-5; Galatians 3
September 24 Song of Solomon 6-8; Galatians 4
September 25 Isaiah 1-2; Galatians 5
September 26 Isaiah 3-4; Galatians 6
September 27 Isaiah 5-6; Ephesians 1
September 28 Isaiah 7-8; Ephesians 2
September 29 Isaiah 9-10; Ephesians 3
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