As we are watching our world change, one of the themes that is emerging is that people are taking responsibility for their future and not waiting for governments or leaders to move them forward. This applies to parishes as much as to politics. The faithful are being invited by the Spirit to care for one another, form one another in our faith, and carry this out into our lives. This is a new and sometimes uncomfortable position and it is going to take a lot of 're-imagining' about how ministry is accomplished and who does it.
An interesting real time experience of this happens in my classroom. Frequently, when I give an assignment, I give the topic and expectations for the final product, but I don't give the details of how to get there. My preference is to leave this to the creativity and imagination of the student. It is a very adult-oriented process. However, we are so used to being told what to do, and so concerned that we might get it wrong, that we want the details laid out for us. It is so much easier then to say it was someone's else's fault if we don't get it 'right.'
We are being invited into an adult faith. One in which we take responsibility, not only for our own actions, but also for one another. We will know if we are doing well if, in the words of one of my students, we ask "Is this life-giving to the body of Christ, or death-dealing?"
"I have come to give you life, and give it abundantly!"
