Happy New Year! The Catholic Coalition For Church Reform (CCCR) Board had their first meeting of 2020. We began with the words of Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (us), because the LORD has anointed me (us); He has sent me (us) to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and release to the prisoners, to announce a year of favor from the LORD and a day of vindication by our God, to comfort all who mourn (Isaiah 61).
The meditation inspired positivity from the Board members and gave us renewed energy and focus. We have chosen two areas to work on in 2020.
Committees are being formed and talking points are being prepared.
Two words that were used over and over at the Vatican II Council were:
Ressourcement - "return to authorative sources."
Aggiornamento - bringing the church up to date.
CCCR affirms our rich traditions and heritage but the world has changed, is changing and will continue to change in the future. The institutional church has made some changes but it is not up to date. Vat. II instructs us to be ecumenical, yet there are still people who are not welcomed at the table. In the spirit of hospitality, who would invite people to their home, then turn them away when the time comes to break bread? Women are not treated as equals and still not acknowledged in the role of priests and leaders. Who wants to embrace an institution that negates half of the flock because of gender? By our Baptism, we are anointed priests, prophets, kings and (queens). If we affirm our Baptism, we must also claim our rights and responsibilities as the People of God.
Our mission statement has evolved. "CCCR works to bring trust and accountability to the archdiocese and welcomes all to the table in the spirit of Vatican II+." The + (plus) is our desire to further the work of Vatican II - plus bring the church up to date in the 21
st
century.
We continue to support the archdiocesan listening sessions and encourage the laity to attend. We are there not only to listen, but to speak up in the spirit of Vatican II+. Prepare yourself ahead of time and talk about what is on your heart and mind, or choose to talk about the two areas we are working on - Women's Ordination and Communion for all.
