Today

2. Today • What prevents dialogue? • Why is having dialogue important? • Footnote on the Vatican & dialogue • What are the key issues that call for open and free dialogue? • How can you set up dialogue in the parish? • Principles to follow in dialogue settings

3. Given all this… What do you think prevents dialogue?

4. Excuses, excuses!

5. My son is under a doctor's care and should not take P.E. today. Please execute him.

6. Please excuse Lisa for being absent. She was sick and I had her shot.

7. Please excuse Roland from P.E. for a few days. Yesterday he fell out ofa tree and misplaced his hip.

8. Are these two things related to each other? Please excuse Tommy for being absent yesterday. He had diarrhea and his boots leak.

9. Please excuse Ray Friday from school. He has very loose vowels.

10. Please excuse Jimmy for being. It was his father's fault.

11. Can we talk? • We have always had divisions in the Church • Acts 2 is not all there is know about the early Church • Acts 2:43 and following: • All who believed were together and had all things in common… • …ate their food with glad & generous hearts • …with the goodwill of all the people

12. The early church • Romans 14:1-8 and following • 10 Why do you pass judgment on your brother or sister? • Romans 15:1-7 • 7 Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. • Dispute over Jew vs Gentile

13. Challenges to dialogue • But today, our culture is polarized • In ways more acute than in the past • Modern communication really makes division much more obvious • It accelerates it! • Media “stars” dominate radio, TV & internet • Why? • Because it sells!

14. Challenges to dialogue • People tend to gather in like-minded groups • Liberals & Conservatives • Old-timers & New-comers • Young & Old • Pro-this or pro-that • Gun control, immigration, or whatever

15. Challenges to dialogue • We take complex issues • with multiple perspectives • and turn them into something you can put into a slogan (or bumper sticker). • We want clear cut answers. • But it’s rarely that simple.

16. Challenges to dialogue • We reach solid conclusions • And can’t imagine why everyone else does not agree with us • Isn’t it obvious that we’re right? • That we have the truth and they don’t? • We often hold positions that conflict • e.g: we’re pro-life but support war-making

17. Challenges to dialogue • We demonize those with whom we may disagree • We judge one another’s motives rather harshly • We use pejorative terms to describe those in another camp • Not very helpful, is it?

18. Given all this… Why is dialogue important?

19. Why Dialogue – reason #1 • It gives people a voice • Especially those who feel they’re outside the church or excluded from it • It opens a door • To help people feel there is hope they might be understood

20. Pope John XXIII • A guest in his office… • Expressed his grief • that so many people of good will • the church no longer loved them • that it rejected and condemned them • Then showing his guest the crucifix on his table, he said with emotion:

21. Pope John XXIII • “But I must be like Christ. • I open wide my arms • to embrace them. • I love them and I am their father. • I am always ready to welcome them.” • Facing his guest he said, • “All that the Gospel requires of us has not yet been understood.”

22. Some people feel unloved • Many people feel that the church no longer loves and supports them • That it has rejected or condemned them for choices they have made • Who do you think feels most excluded or outside the church?

23. Why Dialogue – reason #2 • It helps people form their conscience • Today’s choices can be complex • People face difficult situations • What are the toughest moral choices people face?

24. Conscience • The church calls on us all to be deliberate in forming our consciences • Dialogue can help us sort out complex questions • The witness of others helps shape our own personal response to tricky life questions • Modern men and women often feel hopeless in the face of world events • Talking together helps us

25. Declaration on religious freedom • Everybody has the duty, and consequently the right • to seek the truth in religious matters so that, through the use of appropriate means • they may form prudent judgments of conscience which are sincere and true. #3

26. Church in the World #16 • Deep within our conscience, we discover a law which we have not laid upon ourselves but which we must obey. • It’s voice, ever calling us to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil, sounds in our hearts at the right moment. • For we have in our hearts a law inscribed by God.

27. Church in the World #16 • Our dignity rests in observing this law, and by it we will be judged. • Our conscience is our most secret core, and our sanctuary. • There we are alone with God whose voice echoes in our depths.

28. Why Dialogue – reason #3 • Dialogue is how we come to understand what God wants of us • The truth emerges as we talk • Vatican II was based in dialogue • Without it, there would have been no council

29. The Constitutionon Divine Revelation(#8) • The tradition that comes from the apostles makes progress in the church, with the help of the Holy Spirit. • There is a growth in insight into the realities and words that are being passed on. • This comes about through the contemplation and study of believers who ponder these things in their hearts. (cf Luke 2:19 and 51) • It comes from the intimate sense of spiritual realities which they experience.

30. Continued • And it comes from the preaching of those who, on succeeding to the office of bishop, have received the sure charism of truth. • Also Lumen Gentium #12 – the prophetic office. Ray Lucker ►

31. Why Dialogue – reason #4 • It helps people embrace faith • Talking about our faith leads to deeper understanding and acceptance • People of good will disagree about things • Dialogue helps us reach “common ground” • It helps us speak with one another and learn from each other

32. Is this true? • The faithful today: • Their acceptance of church teaching • less on obedience to their pastors • & more on understanding and conviction.

33. The doctrine of Reception • Receptionwas practiced by the early church • Dialogue leads to the wide-spread positive reception of • Doctrinal truths • Disciplinary matters • Church law • Custom and ritual • & even persons assigned to leadership roles

34. Pause A footnote from the Vatican

35. Gianfranco Ravasi President of the Pontifical Council For Culture

36. Cardinal Ravasi • Engaging Catholics, non-believers, and others in open & free dialogue • The Courtyard of the Gentiles • “When Catholics are well-formed in their faith they have nothing to fear from listening to opposing views.” • “It's a shaky or fundamentalist grasp of faith that sparks suspicion or fear of the other.”

37. The Paris dialogue • March 2011 • UNESCO, l'Institut de France, the Sorbonne • Pope Benedict gave an address • People may not be part of any religion • But they long for a new world of peace and security • One reason for non-beliefisprecisely the lack of integrityfound in the lives of Christians • Let us build bridges with one another, hesaid

38. Given all this… What are the key issues for dialogue?

39. Questions for dialogue • Secularism • The church gets pushed out • In favor of more secular pursuits • Many people pick and choose • In order to construct a workable spirituality to sustain them • Authority figures have less influence • The question here: What do we have to offer modern men and women?

40. Questions for dialogue • Ecumenical households • Large % of marriages • “Faith is lived at home or it’s not lived at all” • The Church confronted with having to either welcome non-Catholic spouses – or not • Implications for religious ed & sacraments • The question here: How can we reach out to the ecumenical homes in our parish?

41. Questions for dialogue • Humanae Vitae in 1968 • Undermines papal authority • Causing average, well-meaning Catholics to disobey • The question: What help and guidance can we offer one another as we tackle this in our lives? • Women’s movement • Not there during Vatican II • The question might be: How can we include women more fully in our local church?

42. Questions for dialogue • Global Environmental Crisis • Not on the Council’s radar • Can the church to interact with society to solve this problem? • for the sake of humanity • on a par with the threat of war • The question might be: As Christians, what is our response?

43. Questions for dialogue • The rich-poor disparity • It’s getting wider • We have more money than ever • And the poor are more vulnerable • Question: How much money can a Christian have before it becomes sinful?

44. Questions for dialogue • Gay and Lesbian Catholics • Increasing evidence that it is deeply rooted in personal identity and not a choice • Scriptural roots of church teaching are seen as too “literal” • Question: What can we offer these folks in terms of their unions?

45. Questions for dialogue • Structure of the parish itself • Many are too large to be effective • Current approach tends to focus on parish rather than on households • Current plan emerged in 4th C • Not addressed by the Council • Even though it was on their minds • Question: How can we return to the small community experience?

46. Questions for dialogue • Levels of engagement • Parishioners with parish • People are just absent • while still seeing themselves as Catholic • How can we re-engage those who are absent? • Divorced Catholics • Accounts for large % of absent ones • Coming pastoral crisis: boomers coming home to die • How can we reach out to this huge group?

47. Questions for dialogue • Tridentine resurgence • For some folks, this is the ONLY church • They want to pray in Latin • They believe this is the “authentic church” • How can we make room for all in the Catholic community?

48. Questions for dialogue • The Place of the Eucharist • More central than ever in Catholic theology • It is the “source & summit” of our lives • Constitution on Liturgy #10 • The reduced # of priests makes it less available • How can we keep the Eucharist central in Catholic life?

49. Given all this… How can you organize for dialogue?

50. Parish forums • Create a “parish forum” in which people can enter into dialogue • One parish calls this: The Signs of the Times • Topics which this parish has dealt include • Wealth & money • Birth control (really, conception management) • Supporting public officials who don’t follow all of Catholic teaching • Gay marriage • Re-marriage as Christians and what it means in terms of the community