UNCORKED — Saskatoon Bishop Donald Bolen spoke of the challenges, hopes and visions for today’s church at Theology Uncorked, a diocesan program of informal faith discussion in a social setting April 15. (Yaworski photo)

Disciples must carry the burdens of others: Bolen

By Kiply LuKan Yaworski

SASKATOON — Challenges, hopes and visions for today’s church were discussed by Saskatoon Bishop Donald Bolen during an informal gathering at a local lounge April 15.

It was in conversation on the road to Emmaus that Jesus revealed the mystery of who he was and the meaning of events, Bolen said at Theology Uncorked, a diocesan program of informal faith discussion in a social setting. “For us to engage in a conversation as disciples of Jesus is one of the ways in which we figure out who we are as disciples and as church community.”

The new bishop noted that challenge and visions are necessarily intertwined. He then put forward four areas for consideration: how best to communicate faith in today’s culture; the challenge of carrying the cross of the current sexual abuse crisis in the church; ways of working toward Christian unity; and the challenge of ongoing justice and peace issues.

“Speaking the faith in a way which captures the minds and hearts of people, has to do with listening closely to the doubts, the questions and challenges of this generation,” said Bolen, adding that these doubts and questions are part of our own faith journey as well.

This generation includes many good, generous and deeply committed people who also do not think it would be intellectually responsible to believe in the Good News or be engaged in the church, he said. “We live in a context where it’s difficult to believe with all our heart and mind and soul,” he added, describing the challenge of finding a way to articulate the good news of the Christian faith in a more thorough, responsible and credible way.

“I think there are people who would like to believe, and who are attracted by the Christian message of faith, but aren’t really convinced that it can stand up to the rigorous arguments which our culture presents, which science presents.”

In the first letter of Peter, Christians are challenged to give an account of the hope within, said Bolen. “I have a vision and a hope that we in the Catholic community, joined with other Christians who face this same challenge, would engage in a more rigorous dialogue with our culture,” he said, “engage in dialogue with the demanding questions that rise from the physical sciences, and which arise from the natural sciences, from psychology and sociology.”

The church is faced with an enormous challenge in relation to cases of the sexual abuse of children, Bolen said. “When people who are trusted to proclaim the Good News end up using that authority for purposes which are tremendously damaging to the other, it’s a tragedy,” he said of the revelations of abuse that have dominated the news in recent weeks.

It has taken both the church and society a while to learn about the reality of abuse, said Bolen. “We have been pretty slow in learning how to respond appropriately and effectively.”

As a church, we’re called to a profound repentance, Bolen went on. “More still, we’re called to actively show the Gospel values of love and compassion and care for all who are victims of abuse, whether within the church or within society at large. And we’re called to be a people right now who carry the cross of the present situation. Bearing the burdens of others is something we are called to do as disciples of Jesus.”

Among those carrying a burden are the priests and religious who have been faithful in living the Gospel but are now living under the shadow of suspicion. Ordinary Catholics may also be bearing the burden of being challenged about how they can remain members of this faith community, given these recent revelations.

“We are living an experience which is painful and difficult and we’re sharing in the passion of Christ through this experience. And the more we can do that in a way that’s faithful to the Gospel, in a way that is not defensive, which contributes to healing in our church and in our world, the more faithfully we are following Christ.”

Bolen said the vision is for a church of integrity, where proclaiming the Gospel goes hand in hand with living the Gospel.

Touching on his years of work in the promotion of Christian unity, Bolen listed this as a third area of challenge, hope and vision for the church.

“Over the past four decades the Catholic Church has been in dialogue with almost every other major Christian community. Throughout this dialogue, we have come to recognize more and more that we share a great deal with others. Many, and in some cases, most, of the things we proclaim at the heart of our faith are shared,” he said.

At a 1952 assembly in Lund, Sweden, the World Council of Churches adopted the Lund Principle, which declares that churches should do everything together, except where deep differences require them to act separately. “But what we tend to do is to do everything separately, except where exceptional circumstances require that we do something together.”

There is “a huge space” in which Christians can engage in common witness to the Gospel, share common prayer and work together, Bolen said.

Finally, there are a whole set of justice issues which present a challenge both to society and the church. “Our hopes and visions for the future have to somehow address those issues. This city and every region throughout Canada still has a great inequality between poor and rich.”

Moderator and program co-ordinator Marci Deutscher opened the floor for comments and questions before the gathering ended, and a lively discussion among the crowd that filled The Ivy lounge followed.

Theology Uncorked is a program offered through the diocesan Foundations office.