Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity Sister Mariella Erdmann responds to the question: “Does our Church need rebuilding today?”
Go Rebuild the Church Today
To answer the question, “Does our Church need rebuilding today?” we just need to look at our Post-Christian era to discover the answer. Our world today is torn by divisions, war, lack of faith and an era which is bend on destroying Christianity. Values are turned up-side-down. People are confused and looking for meaning in life, but often in the form of self-interest, sex, drugs, power, control, etc. Protection of the unborn is being scrutinized and assisted suicide is being promoted more and more. Many choose to hate and thus destroy those they cannot forgive rather than try to reconcile.
I believe that this has happened because many people do not know Christ or have lost their relationship with Him and which leads to broken relationships with others. Pope Francis states well, “So I ask you: Are you looking for empty thrills in life, or do you want to feel a power that can give you a lasting sense of life and fulfillment? Empty thrills or the power of Grace? To find fulfillment, to gain new strength, there is a way. It is not a thing or an object, but a person, and he is alive. His name is Jesus Christ.”
The Church needs to counter our post-Christian era with a sense of deep hope and evangelization in order to bring the reality of Christ down to earth as Francis did, after his conversion, by reaffirming the Incarnation, the Passion and Death of Christ and the Trinity. Christ became one of us in flesh and blood in order to show God’s love for all people, to suffer and die to save us and to share His body and blood in the Eucharist.
We have to experience Christ anew in our lives just like St. Francis did. We need to rebuild our Church today. As Franciscans, let each of us do our part to be reawakened to the truth of our Faith and share it with others by our deep love for God and love for our neighbor. Let us become “Pilgrims of Hope” spreading the Gospel message to our world.
There are several ways to start during the Jubilee Year.
- Prayer
We can start by being open to God’s will in all things even if it seems to take us where we do not want to go. Praying St. Francis’ prayer daily, “Most High, glorious God, enlighten the darkness of my heart. Give me true faith, certain hope, perfect charity, and profound humility with wisdom and perception, so that I may carry out Your holy and true command.”, is a way to focus on God’s will in our lives rather than our own. Imagine each of us living this prayer and becoming instruments of peace and reconciliation in our broken world.
Watch for the second part of this article.
