Young Adult Scripture Reflection

DAY SEVEN: THE DOMESTIC CHURCH

(Christian Mocek)

Scripture:

Romans 12:9-21

Let love be sincere; hate what is evil, hold on to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; anticipate one another in showing honor. Do not grow slack in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in affliction, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the holy ones, exercise hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all. Beloved, do not look for revenge but leave room for the wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Rather, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals upon his head.” Do not be conquered by evil but conquer evil with good.

Reflection

Brian Doyle was much more interested in a Church “out there” and much less interested in the four walls and steeple we typically think of when we say the word, “Church.” And now, as we all watch Masses on television instead of in person, sitting on our couches instead of pews, and perhaps more dressed down than dressed up in our Sunday best, we have to work at creating a Church “out there.”

St. Paul, in his Letter to the Romans, also talks of creating a Church “out there.” He gives his readers a set of guidelines – perhaps less poetically than Brian Doyle would have – but helpful in their clarity.

In command after command, Paul encourages Christians to be focused on virtue, faith, and service. He encourages Christians to be a Church focused on the other – and more importantly – not focused on selfish desires. Perhaps that is the most important truth in the days we are in today. As we sit in our homes, most of us unable to engage society in ways we typically have, we have a proposition before us – do we focus on ourselves or do we create new ways of serving one another?

What I’ve found in five years of marriage and nearly four years as a parent, is that a “domestic Church” is a verb not a noun. Just as virtue can’t be developed one hour a week on Sunday, Church is a set of practices integrated into our everyday lives.

Our meals at home around our dinner table – our home altar – is a daily reminder of how we gather as a broader community around the Eucharistic table. Our night prayer and examen is a daily reminder that we must live our lives with intentionality and not lose focus of what’s truly important. And how we live our lives outside of set times of prayer is just as important as setting aside times to turn to God.

Are we present at play with our children? Are we wasting away our day in front of the television instead caring for our home, reaching out to a friend, or helping someone we know in need? Are we mindful that there is still much expected of us even if we are not “out in the world?”

Like Brian Doyle, I love the idea of Church as a verb. The notion that the Church is wild idea held in the hearts of millions of people who are very interested in finding ways to walk through the bruises of life together with grace and humility. As St. Paul encourages us, now is a time to renew our practices of faith – or to begin them again in our homes. Not with a focus on ourselves but knowing that if we grow in virtue our love for others will bring about a better world.

Let this be a time of renewal, mindful of our call to care for the other as we are all together being Church “out there.”

Reflection questions:

1. How can we be faithful Christians in the world, how can we live our values, cultivated in Church "out there"?

2. Through living these values more intentionally in our homes, how can we help our Church and our world to heal?

Christian Mocek is the director of annual giving at Saint Meinrad, a Benedictine monastery, seminary and school of theology. In addition, he is a regular contributor to the National Catholic Reporter. He lives in New Albany, Indiana with his wife and one son. 

WORKS OF MERCY

by Sarah Seski