Posted by Diana on June 29, 19101 at 15:02:09:
In Reply to: Re: Where is the Body of Christ? posted by Anne Ward on June 29, 19101 at 08:10:28:
Anne,
Thanks for all your comments from Kung on down the line. I know they are given with love and affection.
As for Kung, I love his work....and the work of Curran, Bede, and so many of the others that are currently in disfavor. I'll gladly stand with any of them. Prior to the current wave of fundamentalism in the Church, their work was praised and I believe rightfully so.
The Church that you and I know are apparently very different. I was born this way. It's like having a belly button. And, regardless of what the current interpretation of canons, rules, and regs say, I love the Church as I knew and still know it. The Catholicism I love is not heavily invested in rules, regulations, and blind obedience. It is concerned with love of neighbor, community, and
love of God. The individual comes before the institution in importance and it's priests are true servants of the community members, not thought police. It's informal
apostolic succession, as I understand it, extends to all memebers, not just people with a penis!
Where we see the body of Christ is so important!
Seeing the Body of Christ only in the Eucharist or the Pope is the paradigm that people follow when they want to centralize control. As I understand it, the early Church did not have this centralization. It was man made. It is a view that tries to make the hierarchy and the Eucharist the Sun, so to speak and everyone else satellites around it. It can be used to show a scarcity or lack of the Body of Christ and to show the world as a culture of death.
Another view sees Christ not only in the Eucharist but also in the Other. In this view there is no scarcity or lack because Christ is present in the Christ self of each person in addition to the real presence in the Eucharist.
The clerics and lay people are brothers and sisters and domination and control are left behind. This is obviously the view I favor.
So.......
that's where I am. :)
Have a Happy Fourth of July!
Affectionately,
Diana