Happy Reformation Day!1 Happy Reformation Day? While we might consider the rupture of Western Christianity as a great tragedy, this date reminds us that the task of disciple of Jesus is renewal, or to put it another way, reformation.
The Church calls all of us to spiritual renewal all the time – think examination of conscience and discernment. While my salvation is complete when I accept Jesus Christ as my lord and savior, my conversion is ongoing. Every morning begins a new day not only of blessings, but also of temptations – temptations that might cause me to stumble. It’s easy to say the Christian life is too hard and walk away. But the disciple gets up and runs back to Jesus. We heard that in the Gospel this weekend, right? In Mark 10:46-52 about Bartimaeus leaps up from his place, throws off his cloak and runs to Jesus.
But this call to renewal is not limited to us as individuals. Renewal is also meant for the Church. In some ways we give Martin Luther too much credit, because “The Reformation”, that is to say, reforms in the Church, began well before Luther and continued well after him. But today is a good day to pause and to reflect on renewal.
Can reform be good? Yes! St. John Paul II said, “The latest ecumenical councils — Trent, Vatican I, Vatican II — applied themselves to clarifying the mystery of the faith and undertook the necessary reforms for the good of the Church, solicitous for the continuity with the apostolic tradition.”2
Reform does not mean changing our nature or changing our identity. Reform means to return to the truth that might have become distorted over time. As the Second Vatican Council taught us, “Christ summons the Church to continual reformation as she sojourns here on earth. The Church is always in need of this, in so far as she is an institution of men here on earth.”3
So where do we begin? Well, we begin with Jesus Christ.
St. John Paul II said, “It is necessary to awaken again in believers a full relationship with Christ, mankind’s only Savior. Only from a personal relationship with Jesus can an effective evangelization develop.”4
Pope Benedict XVI never tired of repeating, Christianity does not begin with an idea or a program but with a person: the Second Person of the Holy Trinity, who walks along the Emmaus Roads of this century and invites all into the fellowship of his friends.
Pope Francis constantly says that Christians are called to a mission of leading others to an encounter with Jesus Christ, in order that every person might grow in his or her individual call to holiness.
So reform begins with Jesus.
Where do we start? Well, I suggest we could start with our discipleship. Discipleship means three things: that we accept Jesus Christ as our lord and savior; that we seek to learn more about Jesus and grow in relationship with him; and that we spread the Good News of Jesus Christ. I believe that brief description of discipleship holds the key. It is the simplest and perhaps most straightforward metric to evaluate our own lives and Church.
At every level of the Church, every leadership body, whether directly empowered or advisory, could use the metric of discipleship to evaluate the progress of a pastoral plan, an annual plan, or any organization or initiative.
How does this work, this product, this initiative, this goal:
- Facilitate an encounter with Jesus Christ?
- Help people grow in their relationship with Jesus?
- Help spread the Good News of Jesus Christ?
I understand that this is a simple metric, but if we are to approach our faith with the faith of child, then shouldn’t we try to keep our practical theology easy to understand and actually something which could be implemented?
It could be argued that if any program, goal, plan of the Church at any level (international, national conference, diocese, parish, apostolate) does not in some way foster discipleship, then perhaps it is not a worthy endeavor of the Church or a worthy use of Church resources.
I think this idea that needs more development, perhaps now more than ever, but for now we mark this day and we remember.
Good and gracious God, thank you for this gift of remembering the Reformation. Please forgive me for the times when I take my faith for granted. Thank you for the many blessings in my life. May I use these many gifts to reform my life, to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ and to bring others close to you and your church. I ask this with the loving heart of a child, and in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord. +Amen!
- On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther sent the Archbishop of Mainz and Magdeburg a document protesting the sale of indulgences. This text came to be known as the 95 Theses. Ecclesia semper reformanda est is often attributed to St. Augustine.
- St. John Paul, II, Discourse, Oct. 22, 1998.
- Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio .
- St. John Paul II, speech to bishops of Southern Germany, Dec. 4, 1992, L’Osservatore Romano (English ed.), Dec. 23/30, 1992, pp. 5-6.