TheCatholic Church

TheCatholic ChurchJourney, Wisdom, and Mission

Nihil Obstat: Rev. William T. MageeCensor Deputatus21 June 1993

Imprimatur: †Most Rev. John G. Vlazny, DDBishop of Winona7 July 1993

The publishing team included Barbara Allaire, develop-ment editor; Julia Ahlers, Stephan Nagel, Robert Smith,FSC, Gregory Sobolewski, and Michael Wilt, consultingeditors; Susan Baranczyk and Rebecca Fairbank, copy ed-itors; Barbara Bartelson, production editor and typeset-ter; Penny Koehler, photo researcher; Evy Abrahamson,designer; Ken Call, color illustrator; Tom Wright, car-toonist; Elaine Kohner, line art illustrator; RoderickRobertson, FSC, icon illustrator; Maryland Cartographicsand Gary J. Boisvert, mapmakers; McCormick Creative,cover designer; and Alan M. Greenberg, Integrity Index-ing, indexer.

The acknowledgments continue on page 333.

Copyright © 1994 by Saint Mary’s Press, Christian Brothers Publications, 702 Terrace Heights, Winona, MN 55987-1318, www.smp.org. All rights reserved. No part of this text may be reproduced by any meanswithout the written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the United States of America

Printing: 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Year: 2002 01 00 99 98 97 96 95 94

ISBN 0-88489-298-0

Carl KochSaint Mary’s PressTM

9. The Late Middle AgesPublic Turmoil, Personal Piety 174

10. Revolt and ReformDivisions in the Body of Christ 194

11. A Missionary ChurchCarrying the Gospel Around the World 214

12. The Age of “Isms”Revolutionary Thinking Confronts the Church 236

13. The Church in North AmericaA Style of Its Own 256

14. World ChurchAnguish in an Era of World Wars 280

15. The Contemporary ChurchOn a Pilgrimage into the Future 300

Index 318

Contents

1. A Church History CourseSeeing the Church with New Eyes 6

2. A Church of ConvertsWidening the Circle of Jesus’ Followers 24

3. The Lasting Legacy of the ApostlesChristian Communities and Scriptures 44

4. Gold Tested in FireCourageous Faith and Clear Doctrine 64

5. Building the City of GodHoliness in the Wilderness, Leadership in the World 82

6. Growth in a Crumbling EmpireSpreading the Faith, Bringing Order to Chaos 102

7. The Challenge of ChristendomChurch and Empire in Tension 124

8. The High Middle AgesHigh Times, Low Times 146

SUPPOSE THAT YOU had no idea of your ownpersonal history, that you suddenly found yourselfwithout any memory of your past. The followingstory gives some notion of what that would be like.

A woman in her twenties had been found nearly deadat the edge of a highway. With a severe concussionand other injuries, Jane Doe, as the woman wascalled, had gone into a deep state of amnesia. In theweeks following her rescue, doctors determined thatJane would have to relearn even elementary actionslike how to dress herself and tie her shoes. Becauseshe could not read or write, her teachers started fromthe ABCs. Without identification, she would not beable to register for a driver’s license, open a bank ac-count, request school transcripts, or fill out an appli-cation for a job. People perceived her as an adult, butin effect, she often functioned as a child. What waseven more disheartening was that Jane had no knownfamily or friends—no one to depend on in a worldthat was unfamiliar to her.

On one trip outside the hospital with her occupa-tional therapist, Jane lingered at a flower stand. On awhim, the therapist bought Jane a bouquet of daisieswith a few roses mixed in. Tears of delight and grati-tude brimmed in Jane’s eyes. The next day, when thetherapist arrived at Jane’s room, she was startled bywhat she saw. The ordinary bouquet of flowers hadbeen arranged creatively—professionally. Amazed, sheasked Jane who had done the arrangement.

“I did. What do you think of it?”“I think we just found out what kind of work you

did before your memory loss.”Police investigators began calling florists. Eventual-

ly, they found, in another state, the floral shop whereJane had last worked. From there, they discovered hertrue identity as Clare Forrest, a woman with a real

7

■Illustration, facing page: Churchhistory is full of stories of fasci-nating people whose lives arepart of the communal memory of the church. In this course, youwill meet some of those people.

■Photo: Suppose that you had no idea of your own personalhistory. . . .

past, including devoted family and friends who hadbeen searching for her for months. These people wereeager to welcome her back into their world.

A week later, Clare’s father, sister, and two brothers,along with several aunts, uncles, cousins, and assort-ed friends, crammed into her hospital room for agrand reunion. For hours, they reeled off family mem-ories, helping her piece together the story of her life.They told about the time when, as a three-year-old,Clare had jumped into the neighbor’s pool and near-ly drowned (was that why she was afraid to get intothe hospital whirlpool?). Clare heard about her ownstarring role in the high school musical and her aspi-ration, back then, to sing on Broadway (no wondershe loved the sing-alongs at the hospital and had tofight off the strange impulse to jump up and lead thesinging!). Sadly, her visitors relayed that her motherhad died when Clare was only ten and that Clare hadtaken it hard (did that explain the tears that overcame1

A Church History Course:Seeing the Church with New Eyes

We learn our identity from relating with otherpeople. For instance, if you feel that you possessathletic ability, it is probably because over the yearsyour family, and maybe some neighbors andcoaches, said things like, “You can really shoot anddribble well.” The more this aspect of your identi-ty was reinforced by others’ making similar com-ments, the more your identity as “athlete” becamea part of who you are.

Of course, as a person suffering from amnesia,like Clare, you would lose this understanding ofyourself as an athlete, and you would have to dis-cover it all over again. Just as Clare did not knowshe was a natural performer, you would not recog-nize your athletic skill. Your memory would notautomatically give you the confidence that comeswith knowing where you have come from andwhat you can do. 1

Knowing the Why of ThingsBesides giving us an understanding of who we

are, a sense of personal history enables us to dis-cover why we are the way we are, how it is that wehave certain traits, reactions, or stumbling blocks.When Jane Doe discovered her history as Clare For-rest, a world of understanding opened up to her.She could then see the reasons for her fear of water,her love of singing before a group, her sadness at alittle girl’s emotional distress. What had been mys-terious and cloudy came into focus, and Clarecould see the why of the present. 2

Choosing WiselyKnowing our personal history can also help us

make better choices for the future. If you have ahistory of success in math courses, you can select acollege major accordingly. Clare, knowing that shelost her mother at ten years of age, might take spe-

9

1List personality traits, positiveand negative, that your familyfrequently applies to you—forinstance, “neat and orderly” or“grouchy.”

2Recall from your life history anevent that you believe has af-fected how you think, feel, or actnow. In writing, describe theevent and its effects in detail.

■Photo: Family gatherings andreunions help the family cherishtheir own history.

cial measures to make sure she is nurtured as anadult and not haunted by feelings of deprivation.When we know the why of things, we have thetools to figure out what to do in the future.

Group Amnesia and Group RecallEvery family needs to cherish its own history as afamily. Even though we may sometimes be embar-rassed or bored by the old, well-worn tales that rel-atives tell at family reunions, each telling remindsus of who we are as a family. Some of the storiesevoke tears: “I’ll never forget Uncle Joe’s last words,right before he died. He looked at me and whis-pered, ‘Promise me you’ll tell Helen I’ve alwaysloved her and I always will, even when I’m gone.’”

her the other day as she observed a little girl in thelounge waiting to visit her mother in the intensivecare unit?). Clare’s relatives and friends told her aboutthemselves too: who was married to whom, wherethey worked, what they and Clare used to do togeth-er when they were kids.

Over the hours, Clare’s life began to come into fo-cus for her. Memories flashed through her whole be-ing. It would be a long time before her entire pastwould become clear to her, but she was beginning toremember. So much about herself and her reactionsto things around her had seemed mysterious. Nowshe could understand why she was the way she was.She sensed that she was not living in a vacuum, thatshe was a person with a history and could thereforefigure out where to go with the rest of her life. Andthis wonderful discovery had started with a simplebouquet of daisies and roses.

8A Church History Course

Why Study History at All?

Clare’s experience of losing her memory and thenregaining it can offer insight into the value ofknowing our history, at both the personal and thesocietal levels.

Memory: A Key to Personal Identity

Finding Out Who We AreClearly, for all of us, our memory of our person-

al history plays a key role in telling us who we areand enabling us to function. And with a familyand all the information they give us about our-selves over the years, we have recognition of ourtalents and our virtues. In short, we have a sense ofour own identity.

■Photo: We gain a sense of per-sonal identity from the memorieswe have of experiences in ourfamily.

Collective Insight into the “Why”Back in the 1970s, a remarkable miniseries ap-

peared on television. Called Roots, it was the storyof one family’s history, from the capture of an an-cestor in Africa through centuries of slavery andoppression in the United States. In a sense, it wasthe history of all African Americans. With thatpopular miniseries, viewed by an enormous TV au-dience, a new understanding of race relations inNorth America was reached. As many white peoplecame to understand, black people had not had ahistory at all like the history of other immigrantgroups. Thus it was pointless to make unfavorablecomparisons between immigrant groups who hadsucceeded financially in America and the greatnumber of blacks who remained in poverty. Peoplecould not assume that blacks should react to theurban immigrant experience as the Irish or theGermans had. The anger and despair that producedrace riots in cities during the 1960s could be betterunderstood by a country that had been exposed tothe history of black Americans through Roots.

Understanding the history of a culture, society,or ethnic group can give us insight into why thingsare as they are today.

Societal-Level ChoicesA keen awareness of history can be liberating. By

understanding the reasons for the way things are,societies and nations are in a better position tomake wise choices. If we take the lessons of historyto heart, we see how certain choices in the past ledto certain outcomes, and we avoid the worst ofboth. Put another way, “those who forget the mis-takes of history are condemned to repeat them.”

For example, U.S. military leaders and politicianslearned the following strategic lesson from the fail-ure of U.S. strategy during the Vietnam war, of the

3Find a news article that tells of an event demonstrating either(a) that people learned from a previous mistake or (b) thatpeople failed to learn from aprevious mistake and so repeatedit. In a paragraph, tell why you

think the lesson from the pastwas either learned or not learned.

11A Church History Course

Other family stories urge us into laughter: “Re-member when we were at Mass in the front pew ofSaint Louis Cathedral and Jay got his mitten tan-gled in the collection basket? Yeah, Mom and Daddidn’t know anything was wrong until they heardpeople laughing. Then they saw that there was Jay,stuck trying to get his little legs over the pew so hecould chase the usher down for his mitt.” Evensuch funny memories remind us of who we are asa family.

Forgetting Who We AreNot only do families need to remember who

they are, but cultures, societies, and nations mustcarry the memory of where they have come from

10A Church History Course

and what they have experienced. Without thismemory, they are doomed to forget who they areand repeat terrible mistakes. For instance, Chris-tians must always keep before them the memorythat Jesus was a Jew and that the roots of Christianfaith are in Judaism. For centuries, some peoplewho called themselves Christian persecuted Jewishpeople—most horribly in the Shoah (the Hebrew,preferred term for the Holocaust) of six millionJews, which was perpetrated by the Nazis underAdolf Hitler. But how can it be possible to hateJews without hating Jesus, who was a Jew? Today,anti-Semitism (prejudice against Jewish people) isstill a problem in many parts of the world, includ-ing our own society.

Twisty Hist’ry

1960s and 1970s: “We cannot win a ground war inan unfamiliar foreign land against a guerrilla force.Never try it again.” Unfortunately, some of the eth-ical lessons about the folly and inhumanity of warmay not have been learned as well as the strategiclessons. 3

So why study history? Knowing about historygives us a sense of our personal and cultural identi-ty. It gives us insight into why things are as theyare today. How fascinating it is to discover where asituation came from, to see that our conditions arenot carved in stone and unchangeable just becausethey are “there.” The present developed out of pastevents and can likewise be shaped and transformedby our own actions. Such an understanding of thewhy of things can be liberating; it can help usavoid making the same mistakes that were made inthe past, because we see more clearly and under-stand our options more completely. In the wordsof the nineteenth-century author Oliver WendellHolmes,

When I want to understandwhat is happening todayor try to decidewhat will happen tomorrow,I look back.

For Review• Explain three reasons that it is important

for us to have a sense of our own personalhistory.

• For each reason given in your answer to thepreceding question, provide an example ofhow the reasoning applies at the level ofcultures, societies, and nations.

the local language. Instead of listening to a choirsinging Latin chants, the congregation was sup-posed to join in the music—sung in the languageof the people and accompanied by guitars, piano,drums, flutes, and other popular instruments. Insome cases the names of the sacraments changed:penance became “the sacrament of reconciliation,”and extreme unction was renamed “the anointingof the sick.” Priests and members of religious ordersadopted secular, or common, dress. The position ofdeacon, which had previously been restricted tomen preparing for the priesthood, became open tomarried men. Also, deacons could serve in parish-es, preaching at Sunday Mass among other duties.

These developments were quite disturbing tomany Catholics because they thought that the es-sentials of their religion were being tampered with.They had thought that their church was unchang-ing—a steady sacred rock in the midst of a swirlingsea of secular change. 5

Insight into the Historical RootsCatholics with a good sense of the history of the

church were not distressed by the changes inchurch practice, and their identity as CatholicChristians was not threatened. Wherever changeswere introduced with an explanation of the histor-ical roots of the changes, most Catholics not onlyaccepted but welcomed the developments. Theyfound out that the changes were an attempt to putthe church back in touch with its roots in the faithand vision of the early Christian communities.

For instance, when Catholics during the 1960sdiscovered that the language of the liturgy wasoriginally intended to be understandable, not mys-terious, changing the Mass from Latin to the locallanguage made sense to them. It was useful forCatholics to learn that Latin had come into use for

5Interview a Catholic adult whoremembers what the church waslike before and during the 1960s.Find out which changes in churchpractice the person reacted tomost strongly, either liking ordisliking the changes, and the

reasons for his or her reactions.Write up the results of your inter-view.

6Brainstorm a list of essentials forthe church—things that cannotbe changed. Then brainstorm alist of things that can be changedin the church. Compare the listsand write about how they differ.

the liturgy around the year 400 in the western partof the Roman Empire, because Latin was the lan-guage of Rome. It eventually became the officiallanguage of the Roman Catholic liturgy, and it re-mained so until the 1960s, even though mostCatholics did not understand it. Yet, in the earlydecades of Christianity, the Apostles probably cele-brated the Eucharist in Aramaic, not in Latin. AndSaint Paul probably broke bread and wrote his Epis-tles using the Greek that was the everyday lan-guage of the communities he served.

Similarly, Catholics of the modern era were ableto appreciate and accept new developments in theordained ministry after knowing these facts: In theearly centuries of the church, married deaconsministered to the people. The role of deacon wasnot just a step to the priesthood but was a perma-nent role. And up until the year 1200, many priestswere married.

A Sense of the EssentialBy learning the reasons for various church prac-

tices and how certain traditions originated, we canbetter sort out what is essential and unchangeablein Catholicism from what is not essential andtherefore changeable. Besides, it can be just plainfascinating to discover how things got to be theway they are. 6

Choosing for the Church of the FutureUnderstanding church history can liberate us to seemore clearly what is required for the church. Thatis, if we understand how present realities came tobe and we can distinguish the essential from theinessential, then we can choose more wisely forthe future.

13A Church History Course

Why Study Church History?

Christianity is a historical religion, based on thelife of a historical person: Jesus of Nazareth. TheGospels offer us faith-filled accounts of Jesus’ life.Likewise, the story of the church, its history, pro-vides us with a perspective on how Christians havelived out the Gospel message over the centuries. Infact, learning about the church is learning aboutthe presence of Jesus Christ throughout history.Christ acts through and in the church’s people; helives in people’s hearts and is seen in the actions ofthose who work in his name. Clearly, not all theactions of the church’s members are Christlike—after all, the church is composed of regular, lim-ited human beings. However, these same peoplehave at times been the signs of the Lord’s presence.Thus, knowing the church means knowing Jesusthrough his people.

Understanding Catholic Christian IdentityIf you are taking this course as a Catholic, thisstudy of Catholic church history can deepen yoursense of identity as a Catholic Christian. You cansee yourself as a member of a great religious move-ment that began with twelve disciples almost twothousand years ago and has grown to about onebillion Catholics in the world today.

If you are taking this course as a non-CatholicChristian, much of the history described in thiscourse, at least from the earlier periods until Chris-tianity divided, will actually be your history aswell. So the course will inform you about the partsof your own church’s history that are shared withthe Catholic church.

12A Church History Course

If you are taking this course as a non-Christian,you can gain some appreciation for the CatholicChristian identity of your school and of many ofyour classmates. So this course is intended in partto enable you to understand Catholic identity. 4

Learning the “Whys” of Catholic Faith and PracticeDuring the 1960s, many Catholic Christians weresurprised to find significant changes in theirchurch’s liturgical practice. Many changes came asa result of a worldwide council of bishops, the Sec-ond Vatican Council, which met from 1962 to1965.

New Developments in the 1960sThe altar, which formerly had been positioned

against and facing the back wall of the church, wasbrought forward and turned around so that thepriest could celebrate Mass facing the people. Thelanguage used in the Mass was no longer Latin but

4In writing, explain two ways thatthe Catholic church influencesyou or your family right now.

■Photo: The Mass underwent sig-nificant changes after VaticanCouncil II, emphasizing commu-nity participation. Most Catholicswho understood the historicalroots of these changes welcomedthem.

Six Ways of Seeing the Church

Just as friendships are exciting because we alwayslearn more about our friends, so exploring thechurch’s life can be fascinating because we learnmore about God and people. We can study thechurch, all the while realizing that it is so full ofGod’s presence that we will never thoroughlyknow it. Ultimately, like a friend, the church is amystery that cannot be completely analyzed or ex-plained.

Although we can never totally know the church,we do have ways of studying it that can help us ap-preciate it more. While learning about its history,we can try to examine the church along a numberof different dimensions, or models. In other words,we can see the church according to its various as-pects.

Think of the models of the church as a devicesomewhat like the engineering plans for a newbuilding. An engineering firm could make a num-ber of drawings of the different aspects of thebuilding. Perhaps one drawing would diagram allthe electrical wiring, another drawing would showall the plumbing, and still another would indicatethe steel frame and the placement of windows andwalls. No single drawing would give us a completepicture of the building, but each one would add to our understanding of it. Taken together, all ofthese different drawings would give us a fairly goodpicture of the structure and inner workings of thebuilding.

Let’s consider six models of the church, witheach one highlighting or emphasizing a differentdimension of the complex, ultimately mysteriousreality that we call the church of Jesus Christ.

■Photo: The different members of the Body of Christ depend onone another; they are intimatelyconnected, just like the parts ofan actual physical body.

1. The Church as Body of Christ or People of God“We are related to one another as a family.” Inthe Christian Testament, the church is often de-scribed as the Body of Christ. The community ofbelievers—professing Christian faith, caring for oneanother, celebrating the Eucharist together, servingthe poor—becomes the body of Jesus on earth.And the different parts of this body of Jesus are re-lated to one another in the same way that mem-bers of an actual physical body are intimatelydependent on one another.

15A Church History Course

The church, over its long history, has beenmoved and shaped by the Spirit of God, acting inand through human beings like ourselves. We canshape the future by who we are to and for others,and by the care with which we choose the courseof action for our lives. 7

Like Building a FriendshipPerhaps the best way to approach the study of thehistory of the church is to think of the effort assimilar to building a friendship with someone. Or-dinarily, the process of making friends begins withbecoming acquainted. We ask people we meetwhat their name is, where they are from, what sub-jects they are interested in, where they live. As wespend more time with these new persons, we maybegin to ask more personal questions: How do theyfeel about current issues? Who are they going outwith? What is their family like?

Over time, we also have a chance to see thesepersons in action. Behaviors tell us about their per-sonal qualities. Do we want to discuss our prob-lems with them? Can they be trusted? What dothey need help with? What are some of their limi-tations? Without adequate knowledge of otherpeople, our decisions about them will be unfair orunreasonable. 8

The history of the church is the story of a rela-tionship between Jesus and the believers who havefollowed him over the centuries. As you read thehistory of Catholic Christianity, you will learnabout people—those who have shaped the waythat the world and the church are today. Someparts of the history may disturb you. Other partsmay inspire you. Just remember that as in a friend-ship, we need to know about and learn from boththe good and the bad. We need to be able to ap-

14A Church History Course

7Recall a choice you made wiselybecause you understood whythings had already developed asthey had. Describe in writing howyour insight into the past enabledyou to choose well for the future.

8Write down the name of a closefriend, along with at least fivesignificant pieces of informationyou know about this person.Then answer this question in aparagraph: How important has itbeen to building your friendship to

have this information about yourfriend?

preciate the church with all its limits, as we wouldlearn to accept a friend who has faults as well as at-tractive qualities. Fundamentally, Catholics believethat God’s Spirit has been with the church throughgood times and bad, guiding it in the most difficultand disastrous periods as well as in the apparentlyglorious eras.

For Review• How can this course be helpful to you if you

are taking it as a Catholic? as a non-CatholicChristian? as a non-Christian?

• Cite two changes in Catholic church practicethat occurred in the 1960s and were rootedin the early history of the church.

• How is studying church history like buildinga friendship?

themselves as an institution. Jesus gave Peter au-thority as leader and commissioned the Apostles topreach the Good News, which was a way of pass-ing on authority to them. They in turn commis-sioned others. Formal roles—of bishop, deacon,and then priest—were established to do the workof the early church. Processes for entry into thechurch, as well as for being banned from thechurch for grievous offenses, had to be worked out.Forums such as church councils were developed forsettling conflicts, even as early as the time of SaintsPeter and Paul.

17

■Photo: Saint Peter’s Basilica at theVatican in Rome, Italy, is thehome of the institutional RomanCatholic church.

The institutional dimension of the church is thehuman way of ensuring that the church will bemaintained and its mission will continue: theneedy will be cared for, God will be worshiped, andthe Gospel will be preached.

3. The Church as Sacrament“We are a visible, tangible sign of God’s love.”Human beings need tangible, flesh-and-blood re-minders that God is with them. For this reason,Catholicism stresses the sacramental quality of

In his First Letter to the Corinthians, Saint Paulsays that all members, each with a different func-tion, are important to the Body of Christ, thechurch. Therefore, just as people would care fortheir own body, they must take care of one anoth-er. No person alone can do everything necessary tobe the embodiment of Christ in the world, but to-gether, the church as a whole body can be thefullest expression of Christ. 9

In addition to being called the Body of Christ,the church community goes by another name thatexpresses a similar reality—People of God. Thisname recalls the identity of the Israelites as the

Chosen People of God in the Hebrew Scriptures. Inthe Christian Testament, Jesus calls all people toGod’s love. Thus, those who believe become thePeople of God, members of God’s own family.

2. The Church as Institution“We are organized through formal structures.”The word institution is used in a variety of ways.We speak of colleges and hospitals as institutions(meaning that they are highly complex and for-mally structured organizations). We hear praise forthe institutions of democracy (meaning, in theUnited States, the secret-ballot elections, the threebranches of government, and so on). In neither ofthese cases does institution mean simply a building.Rather, the term refers to the organized patterns,rules, and social structures that have developed tohelp carry out a group or movement’s purposes. 10

Humans tend to “institutionalize” groups andmovements that they hold as important and valu-able. A group wants to maintain itself in an order-ly way and accomplish its goals without constantlywrestling over how to proceed or who is in charge.Thus the church over time developed an institu-tional aspect, with rules, roles, and an authoritystructure. In fact, the church as Institution is prob-ably the most familiar model of the church to us,because we associate the church with a hierar-chy, or authority structure, of pope, bishops, andpriests. When we speak of the church, we oftenmean the “official church,” the church of the Vati-can in Rome or of the diocesan office locally. Weforget that this formal, institutional aspect is onlyone dimension of the church.

Even at its very beginning, the church was de-veloping institutional patterns, although the firstfollowers of Jesus would not have thought of

9Complete the following state-ments:• Today, I can be the mouth of

Christ by . . .• I can be the hands of Christ

by . . .

• I can be the eyes of Christwhen I . . .

• I can be the ears of Christ when I . . .

10Think of an informal group youknow of that gets together regu-larly for some purpose. Identifyany tendencies to introduce rulesor patterns of authority. Considerin writing whether these develop-ments are helpful or not.

16

Why These Terms forthe Christian Bible?When Christians refer to theBible or the Christian Scrip-tures, they mean a whole col-lection of sacred writings thatcomprises what Christianshave commonly called “theOld Testament” and “the NewTestament.” The Scriptures ofthe Old Testament are centralto the Jewish faith and wereoriginally written in Hebrew.Out of sensitivity to our Jewishbrothers and sisters, we willcall the two parts of the Christ-ian Scriptures the HebrewScriptures and the ChristianTestament, rather than term-ing them “old” and “new.”

is identified as a team because it plays games regu-larly together, the Christian community maintainsits identity through its liturgical celebrations. 11

4. The Church as Herald of God’s Word“We proclaim the Good News.” You may haveseen movies about medieval European castles andtowns and the people who lived in them. Whenrulers wanted to send an official message to thepeople, they sent out a herald. The herald wouldblow a horn, ring a bell, or yell loudly to call peo-ple together. Usually the message was for everyoneto hear, and it was considered very important.

The church is the Herald of Jesus Christ. It is theofficial messenger to proclaim the word of God toall people everywhere. The first Christians spreadthe word by going out from Jerusalem to tell theGood News of Jesus to anyone who would listen.Eventually the Apostles proclaimed the Gospel asfar as Rome. Later generations of Christians, rightup to the present, have brought the Gospel “to theends of the earth”—to every continent and everynation.

Belief in Jesus Christ and his Gospel comes aboutthrough hearing the word of God preached bycredible witnesses to the Gospel. People will notbelieve in something they have never heard about,nor will they have faith in a vision that does notseem to affect the lives of the ones proclaiming themessage.

The church acts as Herald in several ways. Jesussaid, “‘Where two or three are gathered in myname, I am there among them’” (Matthew 18:20).So, on a simple level, any gathering at whichChristians read the word of God or pray together isthe church acting as Herald. During the liturgy of

11If someone who was unfamiliarwith the Catholic church came toyour school and witnessed one ofyour school Masses, what sort ofremarks do you think the personwould make about the experi-ence? Describe in writing the

ways in which the person mightbe able to perceive God’s lovefrom your school liturgy.

12Television acts as a herald, pro-claiming a message repeatedly.Answer these questions in writing:On whose behalf does televisionspeak? How would you characterizethe main message—as good news,bad news, or something else?

the word at Mass, for example, the church is Her-ald. Many church publications, TV programs, andradio programs herald the word. Missionaries stillpreach the Gospel to people who have not heardit. Finally, the loving, committed actions of Chris-tians herald the Good News. 12

5. The Church as Servant

“We are at the service of God and therefore ofall humankind.” The night before Jesus died onthe cross, he gave the Apostles an example of howto live and relate to others. Jesus, who was the dis-ciples’ “lord and master,” washed their feet, takingthe customary role that a servant would have in aJewish household. In doing so, Jesus modeled forhis followers the kind of persons that they mustbe—servants who give themselves and make sacri-fices for others.

At another time, Jesus made it clear that whenhis followers serve others with compassion, theyare really serving God:

“‘I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirstyand you gave me something to drink, I was a strangerand you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave meclothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was inprison and you visited me.’” (Matthew 25:35–36)

The church, like the Apostles, is called to be aServant to the world, to offer itself to humankinddirectly and compassionately out of love for God.The church serves human beings through its insti-tutional structures but also through the efforts ofindividual Christians who put their life at the ser-vice of others.

The ways in which people become servants mayvary a lot. Everyone has different talents, positions,and circumstances—from the laboratory researcher

19A Church History Course

life—that we find God in the concrete, the ordi-nary, the physical reality of existence. The sevenofficial Catholic sacraments (baptism, the Eucha-rist, and so on) convey God’s love through physi-cal, tangible actions like pouring water, sharingbread, massaging with oil, and laying hands on aperson.

Similarly, Jesus is sometimes referred to as theSacrament of God, because in his human, physicalexistence here on earth, he embodied and was asign of God’s loving action in the world. Now thechurch, as the extension of Jesus in historical time,continues being a sign of God’s presence in theworld. Therefore, the church is a Sacrament, aphysical sign of God’s saving love. When the peo-ple of the church worship, serve, and preach, God’s

18A Church History Course

saving power is revealed as present. The people re-member what Jesus was all about when he was onearth and thus what God is all about.

As a Vatican Council II document expressed it,the church “is a kind of sacrament or sign of inti-mate union with God, and of the unity of allmankind” (Dogmatic Constitution on the Church,number 1). We see this unifying action of thechurch in the celebration of the seven sacramentsthemselves. For instance, at the Eucharist, in shar-ing the body and blood of Christ, Catholics be-come united with God and with one another inJesus. This sacrament expresses the reality of an ac-tual living community—real people at a specificplace and time, affirming their identity through ac-tivities they do in unison. Just as a volleyball team

■Photo: When Catholics celebratethe Eucharist and share Jesus’body and blood in Communion,they express the reality of thechurch as a Sacrament, or a phys-ical sign of God’s saving love.

studying the effects of pollution on the environ-ment, to the parent welcoming the neighborhoodkids in for some snacks and fun, to the teenager of-fering to help a classmate with a difficult course.Christians need to look at their own abilities realis-tically and use whatever talents they possess in thebest ways for the greatest good. People make theirmarks on history mostly through the service theygive to humankind. In this way they also live outthe reality of the church as Servant.

As an institution, the church has establishedmany service organizations. Worldwide, the Catho-lic church educates millions of students in gradeschools, high schools, colleges, and universities.Thousands of Catholic hospitals and clinics treatsick people. The church runs orphanages andhomes for aged and chronically ill persons. It alsooperates literacy programs, agricultural develop-ment projects, publishing houses, and so on. Atone time, when slavery was common, some reli-gious orders dedicated themselves to freeing thosein bondage. As needs arise in the world, the churchseeks to meet those needs. 13

6. The Church as Community of Disciples“We are followers of Jesus.” A disciple is a devot-ed follower of a teacher or master; a disciple strivesto live according to the beliefs and lifestyle of theperson followed. Jesus’ disciples took on his way oflife; they learned his values, traveled with him, anddedicated themselves to his vision. As a conse-quence of following Jesus, they went against thegrain of the wider society. Eventually all of themsuffered for their beliefs, and most of them died forthose convictions.

20A Church History Course

Any group of people who feed the hungry, loveone another, share their goods, stand up for thosetreated unjustly, and live simply, peacefully, andwith respect for their environment are bound tostand in contrast with the rest of society. Becausethey do not follow the standards of the rest of theworld but instead look to an alternative vision,they may not be successful in terms that the rest ofthe world understands. They may be failures eco-nomically; they may even get in trouble for chal-lenging injustice when they see it.

Such is the call of the church—to be a Commu-nity of Disciples of Jesus, a people whose lifestylestands in contrast with the rest of society. Overall,Jesus’ message and way of life are immensely chal-lenging, and not necessarily popular.

Jesus never imagined that his disciples wouldhave it easy. Life for them would be fulfilling, yes.Easy, no. The cost of following Jesus over the cen-turies has often been paid in blood by martyrs,who have died for the cause of the Gospel. In ourown time, committed followers of Jesus suffer con-sequences, in some instances even torture anddeath, for the lifestyle they commit themselves to.But more typically in our society, the consequencesof following Jesus are likely to be seen in situationssuch as less material success or loss of popularitybecause of the stands one takes.

13Bring to class a news article thatshows the church acting as Ser-vant, and bring another articlethat shows an area or problemwhere people could use the helpof a serving church.

■Photo: As disciples of Jesus, Chris-tians may take unpopular standsbecause they believe these standsreflect Jesus’ values.

Six Models, One ChurchIn the real world, the models of the church do notexist as separate entities. Rather, the dimensionsof Body of Christ or People of God, Institution,Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and Community ofDisciples can often be seen together in one in-stance of the church’s life. The models do overlap.For instance, when the church is being the Bodyof Christ (the members are relating to one anoth-er as one body or family), it is also often acting asServant (looking after the needs of others) as wellas Sacrament (a visible sign of God’s love).

Likewise, at such times the church is often at itsbest as Community of Disciples (following Jesus’way of life and taking the consequences for it).And when the church is following the way ofChrist, its voice as Herald of the Good News ismost credible and most likely to be heard by aworld that desperately needs credible people whowitness to their faith. Even the model of Institu-tion can often be seen in the most seemingly in-formal instances of church action, because suchaction does rely on the recognition of leadership,common mission, agreed-upon ways of proceed-ing, and so on.

The following news article demonstrates thepresence of all these models of the church in oneexample of what the church is and can be.

On a chilly December evening in Phoenix,about 400 men, a half-dozen women and onecouple with a baby wait on a downtown side-walk for the only group in town that serves

dinner to homeless people who have not takenrefuge in shelters.

Precisely at 6 p.m. a pickup truck pulls up in front of the crowd. Ten people get out andsilently prepare to break the law. . . .

They are church volunteers who believe it ismore important to dish out beans, sandwichesand hot coffee to the less fortunate than to payattention to Phoenix laws that forbid suchmass gatherings on public sidewalks and serv-ing large quantities of food without a permit.

Not that Father Mark Van Wassenhove, aHoly Cross priest who directs Phoenix’s AndreHouse of Hospitality, would not like his orga-nization to also obey the law each night whenit serves 500–1,000 meals. . . .

“But the bottom line is there is a need to bemet,” said Van Wassenhove. . . . “Our mis-sion is to do the gospel works of charity, andone of those is feeding the hungry.”

A crackdown by Phoenix this year has forcedthe Andre House to stop serving dinner at thedowntown homeless shelter. . . .

Andre House volunteers began their mildform of civil disobedience by moving theirnightly food line down the street from theshelter to an area where police are too busy to be interested in ticketing a church groupand hundreds of people too poor to pay fines.(“Let Them Eat on Street—But Not in ThisNeighborhood,” National Catholic Reporter,21 December 1990)

21

To believe in Christ and work for his vision ofpeace and justice and love demands sharing in thesufferings of Jesus. The church as Community ofDisciples bears witness by its own lifestyle that the“good life” is about more than television sets, ex-pensive cars, the latest fashions, smooth skin, anice body, a great sound system, and a high-statusjob.

The church as Community of Disciples may bethe most challenging dimension of being church.But faithful, hopeful, and loving people have cho-sen to be different, have chosen to be disciples ofJesus throughout the almost two thousand years ofthe church’s history. 14

Church History and the Models

As we study the history of the Catholic Christianchurch in this course, we will refer to these modelsto highlight different dimensions of the church’srole in history—as Body of Christ or People of God,Institution, Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and Com-munity of Disciples.

We will see that over the centuries the churchhas developed in different directions and accord-ing to a variety of emphases. For instance, as thechurch has grown, the Institution model has be-come much more obvious. At particular times, themissionary activities of the church have highlight-ed the Herald model. Most of the adaptations inthe church through history have come about sothat it could be a more effective Body of Christ, In-stitution, Sacrament, Herald, Servant, and Com-munity of Disciples. Yet we must keep in mindthat the church is more than the sum of its parts—more than all the models put together. Ultimately,the church remains a fascinating mystery.

14From your own experience orthat of someone you know, writeabout an incident in which aperson had to take difficult con-sequences for doing what wasright or Christlike.

23A Church History Course

■Illustration: The models of thechurch are dimensions or aspectsof the church. In different erasand circumstances of churchhistory, various dimensions of the church’s life can be seen.Throughout the remaining chap-

ters, the above symbols will ap-pear periodically in the text tohighlight which model of thechurch is especially apparent in a given era or circumstance.

At various points throughout this book, you willnotice that a given development in the church isidentified in the lower margin of the page with asymbol, or icon, of the model that is expressed bythat development. The recurring symbols will serveas a reminder that the church has been alive withthe Spirit in every age, but with different models ofthe church more apparent at different times.

For Review

• What does it mean to say that ultimately thechurch is a mystery?

• How can using the six models of the churchhelp us appreciate what the church is?

• Name the six models of the church anddescribe each one briefly in a sentence.

Conclusion

This course aims to help you see the church withnew eyes. Like someone on a fascinating search tofind his or her family’s roots, perhaps you will dis-cover with surprise some insight into who you areand why “the family” of the church is the way it istoday. You may be troubled to find stories of fami-ly tragedy or conflict, delighted to discover braveand inspiring ancestors, and appreciative of thestruggles that have shaped the family over theyears. You may find dimensions of the family thatyou never noticed or that you took for granted. Finally, you may find that this journey into thepast will enable you to see the future more clearlyand commit yourself to it with a wiser mind andheart.

The Church As

Communityof Disciples

Body of Christ

Institution

SacramentServant

Herald

22A Church History Course