Prayer, Study and the Formation of
Our ‘Spiritual Attitude’
By Monsignor Vincent J. Grimalia, V.G.
 

As Parish Pastoral Councils and Parish Finance Councils prepare to begin their work, it would do all of us well to remember that none of this “activity” will come to fruition without guidance from the Lord.

Bishop Martino has required that each meeting of a Parish Pastoral Council begin with 20 minutes of prayer and 20 minutes of study or reflection, because his intention is to promote a spiritual renewal of the Diocese of Scranton. This practice would also benefit the Parish Finance Council as it addresses a deeper understanding of the parish, its mission and its resources.

Bishop Martino is following the example of the late Pope John Paul II. In his book, Rise, Let Us Be On Our Way, Pope John Paul II wrote: “I used to put two questions to my co-workers: ‘Which truth of faith sheds light on this problem?’ And then: ‘Whom should we approach for assistance?’ ”

In another book, Sources of Renewal: The Implementation of Vatican II, Pope John Paul II noted that he wrote the first edition of this book as a preparation for the Synod of his then Archdiocese. The second edition was revised after his election as pope.

The editor of the book noted: “Cardinal Wojtyla did not address himself directly to the problem of how to implement Vatican II in Poland…The author’s intention… was to concentrate on defining exactly what was to be put into effect…”

As pope he would warn about the danger of moving too quickly into action without prayer, study and reflection on the situation under consideration.

More recently, Pope Benedict XVI stated: “In your plan of pastoral renewal, you are faced with the delicate task of the reorganization of parishes and also of dioceses. This can never be carried out in an appropriate way by simple social models of restructuring. Without Christ, we can do nothing (cf. John 15:5). Prayer roots us in truth, reminds us incessantly of the primacy of Christ and, in union with him, the primacy of the interior life and of holiness.

Parishes Are ‘Houses of Communion’

“The parishes are therefore, rightly considered above all as houses and schools of communion. Consequently, the reorganization of parishes is essentially an exercise of spiritual renewal. This calls for a pastoral promotion of holiness, so that the faithful remain attentive to the will of God, from whom we share true life, becoming participants of the divine nature (cf. Dei Verbum, no. 2).

“Such holiness, or such profound communion through Christ and in the Spirit, is affirmed among other things by an authentic pedagogy of prayer, by an introduction to the lives of the saints and to simple forms of spirituality that embellish and stimulate the life of the Church, by regular participation in the sacrament of reconciliation, and by a convincing catechesis on Sundays, ‘the day of faith,’ ‘the day one cannot do without,’ ‘the day of Christian hope’ (cf. Dies Domini, nos. 29-30; 38).”

Spiritual renewal of our parishes must accompany parish self-assessment and pastoral planning.

As “cells” or the “connective tissue of the diocese,” renewal of our parishes is necessary for the renewal of the Diocese of Scranton as it searches how to more effectively witness to the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ.

In Sources of Renewal, Pope John Paul II structured his plan on an “enrichment of faith,” a deeper awareness and understanding of the faith, and the “formation of attitudes” for the implementation of the Second Vatican Council.

His concern for a proper understanding of theology and spirituality was affirmed in the Final Report of the 1985 Extraordinary Synod, when it addressed the need for “a deeper and more extensive knowledge of the Council, its interior assimilation, its loving reaffirmation and its implementation. Only interior assimilation and practical implementation can make conciliar documents alive and life-giving.”

In Tertio Millennio Adveniente, Pope John Paul II issued a plan to spiritually prepare for the new millennium. He stated: “The best preparation for the new millennium, therefore, can only be expressed in a renewed commitment to apply, as faithfully as possible, the teachings of Vatican II to the life of every individual and of the whole Church.”

Again in Novo Millennio Ineunte, he repeated his concern: “What a treasure there is, dear brothers and sisters, in the guidelines offered to us by the Second Vatican Council! For this reason I asked the Church, as a way of preparing for the Great Jubilee, to examine herself on the reception given to the Council. Has this been done? …With the passing of the years, the Council documents have lost nothing of their value or brilliance. They need to be read correctly, to be widely known and taken to heart…” The spiritual renewal and pastoral planning of the Diocese of Scranton requires a study of the documents of the Second Vatican Council and the documents that have followed the Council.

Pope John Paul II cautioned that there is a tendency to rush into activity before proper preparation through study and prayer. “If in the planning that awaits us we commit ourselves more confidently to a pastoral activity that gives personal and communal prayer its proper place, we shall be observing an essential principle of the Christian view of life: the primacy of grace. There is a temptation which perennially besets every spiritual journey and pastoral work: that of thinking that the results depend on our ability to act and to plan. God of course asks us really to cooperate with his grace, and therefore invites us to invest all our resources of intelligence and energy in serving the cause of the Kingdom. But it is fatal to forget that ‘without Christ we can do nothing’ (cf. Jn 15:5).”

If this is not done, the late Holy Father warns that frustration will follow: “It is prayer which roots us in this truth. It constantly reminds us of the primacy of Christ and, in union with him, the primacy of the interior life and of holiness. When this principle is not respected, is it any wonder that pastoral plans come to nothing and leave us with a disheartening sense of frustration?”

He cautioned again on the need for prayer and study, when he said: “To make the Church the home and the school of communion: that is the great challenge facing us …, if we wish to be faithful to God’s plan and respond to the world’s deepest yearnings. But what does this mean in practice? Here too, our thoughts could run immediately to the action to be undertaken, but that would not be the right impulse to follow. Before making practical plans, we need to promote a spirituality of communion…”

From the time he was Archbishop of Cracow, and all through his ministry as Bishop of Rome, Pope John Paul II taught the importance of prayer, study and reflection on the teaching of the Church. Bishop Martino has likewise continued to remind us of the importance of prayer, study and reflection if our efforts at spiritual renewal and pastoral planning are to be fruitful.

Enrichment of Faith

In Sources of Renewal, Pope John Paul II stated clearly the need for an enrichment of faith both in terms of content and commitment. He stated: “Man’s proper response to God’s self-revelation consists in self-abandonment to God. This is the true dimension of faith, in which man does not simply accept a particular set of propositions, but accepts his own vocation and the sense of his existence. The believer’s whole existence constitutes his response to the gift of God which is revelation.”

The late Pope frequently wrote and spoke of the vocational dimension of human life; how we are called to respond to God through faith.

In the thought of Pope John Paul, the Council raised some questions that it later answered in the documents that it published. The most important question was: “Church, what do you say of yourself?”

In the second part of his book, Pope John Paul looked at the Second Vatican Council in the light of various articles of faith, including the following: creation, revelation, Trinity, redemption, the Church as the People of God, the Church as Communion, and the call to holiness.

The Formation of Attitudes

Pope John Paul II noted that he wanted to present the teaching of the Second Vatican Council in a way that would answer several questions: “What does it mean to be a believer, to be a Christian, to be in the Church?”

It seems when we want to speak of spiritual renewal and pastoral planning, these questions have a particular relevance that requires prayer, study and reflection, lest we rush ahead to action without proper focus and direction.

The late pope wrote about the importance of forming proper attitudes. He stated that an attitude follows upon understanding and leads to action: “It involves ‘taking up a position’ and being ready to act in accordance with it.” He teaches: “Faith without works is dead (cf. James 2:26): it cannot consist merely of knowledge… Essential to faith is an attitude of self-commitment to God.”

He cites the Church’s mission as an example of how an enriched faith and the proper formation of an attitude leads to action. He wrote about a Christian who makes a commitment in these words: “Committing his entire self to God, he must not only accept the divine mission but in some degree share in it. We can indeed …equate the fundamental attitude of self-commitment to God with the missionary attitude: man commits himself to God by taking whole-heartedly on himself the divine mission…This attitude is closely linked with that of bearing witness…The human being who commits himself entirely to God accepts with his whole self the divine testimony made known in Jesus Christ, and is thus prepared to bear witness to Christ and to God.”

The late pope warned: “The Council does not merely outline an external plan for the renewal of the Church…it also outlines a real plan for the enrichment of faith.” Likewise, pastoral planning needs to be supported and guided by spiritual renewal.

Pope John Paul wrote of the importance of developing an attitude of participation in the threefold mission of Jesus Christ as priest, prophet and king. Through Baptism and Confirmation all members of the Church are called – have a vocation – to active participation and responsibility in the mission of the Church. An awareness of vocation, a sense of stewardship of time, talent, resources and the variety of gifts, are important in promoting a spiritual renewal in our parishes.

Other attitudes that need to be formed in the members of the Church, according to Pope John Paul II, include: an attitude of human identity and responsibility, the ecumenical attitude, the apostolic attitude and the attitude of building up the Church as a missionary community.

Parish Pastoral Councils, Parish Finance Councils and members of the parish all will benefit from ongoing adult faith formation. However, members of parish councils, staff and volunteers have a special responsibility in the area of faith formation. An enriched awareness of the teaching of the Church, a more extensive knowledge of the teaching of the Vatican Council and understanding of the ongoing development of Church teaching and discipline are necessary not only for their personal spiritual life but for their work to make the Council alive and life-giving in the parish, for staff, volunteers and those in leadership positions in the parish.

To rush into pastoral planning or activity without prayer, study and reflection can lead to frustration, as Pope John Paul II indicated on several occasions.

The fall Parish Pastoral Council Workshop will be an introduction to ongoing formation based on the theology and spirituality of the Second Vatican Council with direction from Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI.

When parish councils make a commitment to prayer, study and reflection on the Church and look at the parish through a focus on the Eucharist and Evangelization, pastoral planning and spiritual renewal in a parish will be promoted and mutually supported.