Happy Birthday, Church

Today, which is almost over with-is Pentecost-the birthday of the Church. And Jesus only started one church-not many churches. So we didn't have a church of Ephesis or a church of Corinth back then or a St. Patrick's or St. Joseph's church now. These groups were or are communities that worship together-so they may be parishes-not individual churches. And that place I call "St. Patrick's Church" is really a building that's used for worship; the people in it and all other baptized Catholics under the Pope-the Church.

And this includes a couple little people that joined the Church last Sunday. These were babies Father baptized after Mass. This is the point at which one enters the Church is at Baptism. This morning after I had come home from Mass-I read a chapter of an old book called My Catholic Faith, which I highly recommend. I read something in this chapter called "Foundation of the Church."

According to this book, all Catholics belong to one of two divisons-either the "teaching Church" or the "hearing Church." The teaching Church consists of our priests, bishops, and the Pope. It is also called the hierarchy. The Bishops and the Pope are the teaching magisterium. I recall this word coming from a Latin word for "teacher" but thought I better look up the word. The word that it came from is magister, which means "master, canon / master of a school, professor." And we lay people do need to keep learning about God and the Church-the children, the new converts, and the seminarians aren't the only ones. And we forget, and need a "refresher course." 

I feel that a lot of our religious formation-especially when I was growing up-has been "glossed over." I've been Confirmed over 30 years ago, but Father allowed me to sit in on the Confirmation class he taught last year. He taught the kids a bunch of stuff I never knew as well as showed a lot of enthusiasm for the Sacrament that I had never heard before. Now this man is definitely doing his job as a member of the "teaching church." Now I need to keep my ears open and pay attention to what he, the Pope, and other priests have to say. They're here to teach us-not just administer the Sacraments and lead us in prayer.

So I definitely have a role as a learner in the "hearing Church." And it's not just because I have had little formal religious training. All lay people are part of this division.
 
Something this book mentioned that I found interesting was that "Christ completed the founding of His Church just before His Ascension when he said to His Apostles, 'Go into the world and preach the Gospel to every creature' (Mark 16:15)"
 
He had the Apostles go to all nations to promise salvation to believers and "threatening condemnation to those refusing to believe."

And on that first Pentecost St. Peter preached a sermon and afterwards three thousand people converted and were baptized. These were our first members since the Ascension of our Lord. And the following day, the Apostles, our first Bishops, went out and started preaching.

This has to be the most important birthday on anyone's calendar. And I'm one who loves cards, presents, and cakes for my birthday and a lot of people know it too.Maybe someone ought to bake a cake and have put on it "Happy Birthday Church."
 
I'm sorry, this is coming to you late-I tried to get on the computer a couple times during Pentecost, but both times it was occupied. And my own computers aren't working-so I need to "share."

1. A Manual of Religion, Morrow STD, Most Reverend Louis LaRavoire, Bishop of Krishnagar, MY MISSION HOUSE,  Kenosha, Wisconsin, 1958, p. 102

2. Ibid