Thursday, 5/18/2017 – Meeting in the Tension in the Middle

Fr. Denis Robinson, OSB, is Rector of St. Meinrad Seminary and School of Theology.  I was fortunate to have him for four courses.  In every course Fr. Denis found an occasion to do the following activity.  He thought it was THAT important that each priest-to-be and minister-to-be understand what it teaches.

Fr. Denis would have two people come to the front of the room and face each other.  Then he would ask them to raise their arms with their hands spread flat out pressing against each other.  He asked them then to lean in, to push against each other.  They did. We smiled. It was a stand off:  neither could push the other down.  Finally, Father  had one person stop pushing back.  The result, of course, was that the one still pushing lunged forward, just catching himself before he fell.  We smiled a bit broader.

Then Fr. Denis made his point:  “The triangle is a strong construction.  The pressure of one angle pushes against the other to make a solid, meant to last, construction.  It takes the pressures of both sides to be strong.  It is important the Church be like that.  People want to lean to one side or another.  When they do, the construction is weak.  It begins to collapse.”

I loved his final line:  “The Holy Spirit lives in the tension in the middle.”

Father went on to discuss with us how “The Holy Spirit lives in the tension in the middle” doesn’t mean compromise, half what one person or faction wants and half what the other person or faction wants.  That would deny objective Truth.  The Holy Spirit lives in the middle rather means that in the (respectful) dialogue between opposing viewpoints solutions emerge which meet the essential needs of each perspective.  These solutions are the work of the Holy Spirit.  They come from the Spirit’s gifts of Wisdom, Counsel, Knowledge, Understanding, Piety, Fear of the Lord, and Fortitude.  They lead to Fruits of the Spirit:  Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self-Control.

These solutions are also practical solutions that can be willingly implemented.  Such, so I understand, were the solutions developed again and again during Vatican Council II.

Such is the solution described in yesterday and today’s reading from Acts.  This was a critical point in the spread of Christianity.  Was Christianity going to develop as a part of Judaism, or was it going to become a new religion?  My guess, from reading the 15th chapter of Acts, is that no one yet saw that Christianity would become a new, separate, world religion.  Even the Gentiles who were being accepted into Christian communities were not saying “Separate from Judaism.”  They also didnt seem to see themselves as BECOMING Jews.  They were simply filled with the Holy Spirit post-baptism as were the Christians who had been born into Judaism or who had gone through the process of seriously studying Judaism.  They wanted to follow Jesus and “the way.”

But what was the Way?  Did they need to be circumcised?  Did they need to follow Jewish laws and rituals?  Did they need to follow Jewish culture?  Were Christians “super Jews” or were they Christians?

There were two sides to the problem.  People were like the model that Fr. Denis gave us in class:  the two sides pushed against each other.

What would have happened to Christianity if all Gentiles had to be circumcised and had to follow all other Jewish laws?  What would have happened to Christianity if they had totally broken with Jewish faith and custom at that point?

We don’t know, but logic can tell us that Christianity would have been weaker as it faced coming persecution.  It would have been less likely to attract people and spread.

Interestingly to me, none of the arguments from either side take the tactic, “What’s easier to market?”  Both sides were interested in what was practical and right.

From the dialogue and discussion we hear today of a Holy Spirit solution:

After much debate had taken place,
Peter got up and said to the Apostles and the presbyters,
“My brothers, you are well aware that from early days
God made his choice among you that through my mouth
the Gentiles would hear the word of the Gospel and believe.
And God, who knows the heart,
bore witness by granting them the Holy Spirit
just as he did us.
He made no distinction between us and them,
for by faith he purified their hearts.
Why, then, are you now putting God to the test
by placing on the shoulders of the disciples
a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?
On the contrary, we believe that we are saved
through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.”

Everyone was silent.  Then came the confirmation which marks the peace and wisdom of the Holy Spirit for sure.  James got up and said:

“It is my judgment, therefore,
that we ought to stop troubling the Gentiles who turn to God,
but tell them by letter to avoid pollution from idols,
unlawful marriage, the meat of strangled animals, and blood.”

It is hard for us to imagine the level of change this was for the Jewish Christians.  But today we have disagreements within the Church.  One such disagreement seems to be, “How do we approach those who have ceased to be active in our faith?”  Do we lead with Truth or Compassion?  That question seems to me, in practice, not that different from the circumcision question.

That is often a question for evangelists, bishops, and popes and can be totally over my head.  It is also a question for practical experiences in my life.  How do I respond to my adult children who no longer go to church?  How do I approach people who have married outside the church?  What do I say to someone who is unhappy with our current pastor?  I work a lot with people considering returning to the faith.  I work with some bitter from past experiences.

It seems to me it is good to follow Fr. Denis’ advice:  look for the Holy Spirit, the decision of God, from the tension in the dialogue.  Look to see how factors on both sides of such questions have God’s characteristics of Truth, Fidelity, and Compassion in them.  Look to answer the questions in ways that work for both sides, “What is essential here?”  Look to see how the Holy Spirit speaks from the tension in the middle.

Prayer:

Lord, Truth, Compassion, and Fidelity are core characteristics of You.  Help me to know how to express those characteristics in my interactions today, especially in situations where people are troubled or at odds with You or Your Church.  Help me to think in those terms when I read articles or watch TV.  Perhaps even more important, help me be willing to sit in the tension of dialogue until Your Will is clear.  Help me to remember, it is I who must learn to conform myself to Your image, not You who must conform Yourself to my image.

NOTE:  I will be taking a two week break from writing for A Catholic Moment.  I will return on June 8.

About the Author

Mary Ortwein lives in Frankfort, Kentucky in the US. A convert to Catholicism in 1969, Mary had a deeper conversion in 2010. She earned a theology degree from St. Meinrad School of Theology in 2015. Now an Oblate of St. Meinrad, Mary takes as her model Anna, who met the Holy Family in the temple at the Presentation. Like Anna, Mary spends time praying, working in church settings, and enjoying the people she meets. Though formally retired, Mary continues to work part-time as a marriage and family therapist and therapy supervisor. A grandmother and widow, she divides the rest of her time between facilitating small faith-sharing groups, writing, and being with family and friends. Earlier in her life, Mary worked avidly in the pro-life movement. In recent years that has taken the form of Eucharistic ministry to Carebound and educating about end-of-life matters. Now, as Respect for Human Life returns to center stage, she seeks to find ways to communicate God's love and Lordship for all--from the moment of conception through the moment we appear before Jesus when life ends.

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12 Comments

  1. Truly Mary, we cannot solve our problems through separation but by allowing the Holy Spirit to resolve the tension. Seriously, we need the grace and patience to understand this.

    This is awesome reflection and I wish you peaceful break. I will miss you for these weeks.

  2. Mary thank you for your insightful reflection and wonderful example on how to accommodate divergent views. This can be applied not only on spiritual matter but across the bround.
    Enjoy your break

  3. Thanks for the reflection Mary. In what you do, I would say it’s safe to say that Gods grace is at work, just like the Holy Spirit is at work. All of us may have gratitude for this even though family matters or other things weigh us down. I must say, I’m a fishermen and considered myself a patient person in this way, but I certainly do not have this kind of patience your talking about here. Signed: A person with similar family matters.

  4. Thanks to Mary for this INSIGHTFUL Reflection, I believe, under the GUIDANCE of the HOLY SPIRIT.
    I believe The GOOD LORD communicates to HIS PEOPLE through the HOLY SPIRIT. I pray that in all challenges we have the SPIRIT from the FATHER and SON guiding and directing us accordingly

  5. What a great analogy by Fr. Denis and a wonderful reflection at that. God bless you.

  6. I found your article very interesting and practical. We all need a bit of guidance in how to get to the Holy Spirit. Thank you very much for your explanations.
    Have a very good holiday!

  7. Hey Mary,

    The quote, “Christ died for our sins not our minds” seems appropriate here.

    Personally, I think questioning scripture, the Church, the Pope, your Bishop and Priest and A Catholic Moment deepen ones understanding of God. What does one learn if you agree with everything that is being said? By challenging another person’s viewpoint you will become knowledgeable about your own faith.

    Have nice vacation,

    Mark

  8. The questions raised in your penultimate paragraph are very important and warrant further examination in future. Thank you for bringing these to attention.

  9. Thank you, Mary. Once again you have written an insightful, practical, and oh so needed reflection for all of us to think about, meditate on, and pray for as we attempt, as followers of Christ, to show the world who He is. And as we all know, we do this best by showing them how much we love, which is impossible without also having the attitude you discussed today. Not easily obtained (only by the grace of God) but oh so necessary to see the change we desire in our world! Lord, open us up to your Spirit so we can see what this truth means for us!

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