The Journey 269: Inter-related? Subscriptions and holy communion

Read: John 4

No Subscriptions– Then No Holy Communion. Strange Isn't it? News Agencies report that day before yesterday on Monday, September 24th, a strange and unique decision was taken by the Catholic Church in Germany. The Catholic Bishops Conference have issued a new decree that those who do not pay church tax will be denied the following sacraments. They will not be allowed to participate in Holy Communion, Confession, Confirmation and Anointing of the Sick. One cannot also become a God Parent too in the sacrament of Baptism. This moves seems to be taken because the Catholic Church was worried about its dwindling numbers and wanted to take certain steps to stem the rot and the drop. In Germany, every individual have to officially declare their religion and pay church tax which could be about 8-10% depending on where he lives, or be classified as Non Religious, thus being exempted from church tax. If a religious burial is needed then the person has to display regret for leaving the church and then burial would also be permitted. In Germany, where the overall population is 82 million, it is presumed that about one third of the population is Catholic while another one third is protestants. A large number of people are leaving both the Catholic and the Protestant church’s and wanting to be classified more as Non Religious than being termed Religious. This move of the Catholic Bishop Conference has been decried by the progressive Catholic groups who have expressed shock, dismay and are also angry at this strange decision. According to them what is needed today is not decrees of threat but the church needs to motivate the people to be loyal to the church. I think the questions that the progressive catholic groups have raised needs to be taken seriously. There are many issues that needs to be addressed as we think about this decision taken by a church in a country that are both alien to us. One of the main issue is how can the church as an institution, make itself meaningful and relevant in the present day context. This is something that not only the church hierarchy that needs to think about, but also every person who is associated with the body of Christ needs to seriously think.

The theme for our meditation is “Transformed Living” and the portion that we shall use for our meditation is from John 4 . This is one portion in the bible where Jesus redefines both place of worship and also what constitutes a true worship. When the Samaritan woman encounters Jesus Christ, He brings about certain transformation in the life of the Samaritan woman. The major transformation was in her understanding of worship. Her belief of worship was that worship was directed and done at a particular place– for the Samaritan woman that place was Jerusalem. But Jesus transforms her understanding and teaches her that in the sight of God more than the place it is the attitude of the believer that makes worship meaningful and the church “ a community of believers”. It is then we are able to worship in Truth and in Spirit. In the Old Testament, God does not accept Cain’s sacrifice because of the attitude behind the sacrifice, which was not worthy and befitting. What has happened to us today is that for some, Church has become just a space for meeting and fellowship, rather than a place of true worship, where the worshippers constantly think and evolve new ways of making both the church and worship relevant and meaningful. It is this attitude that sometime drives the youngsters or people who truly want to associate church more as a spiritual space from the vicinity of the church and also from being active participants in the church. Unless the community of believers truly engage in transforming the patterns in worship and the life in the church as a whole, the church could find itself outdated and then the only option we will have is to find scapegoats like the bishop, or some clergy or some members forgetting that we all were equally responsible for the spiritual degradation in the church.

Rev. Dr. Joe Joseph Kuruvilla

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