Published: Thursday, 25th February, 2010 12:00pm

No more room for hurlers on the ditch

Pic by==: 97

As I walked away from Breffni Park after Cavan's recent heavy defeat by Antrim, I wondered why such a promising first half performance had turned into a second half hammering. The team seemed physically fit, energetic and determined and they have plenty of football ability and talent. I felt, however, that they never really gelled together as a team during the match.

There were some good individual displays but they didn't translate into the strong and unified effort that was required to see off the challenge of the men in saffron.

Most of the big achievers in team sports over the years have had a strong collective sense of identity and spirit that enabled them to pull together and overcome individual limitations and shortcoming in order to win the big prizes. The Meath gaelic football team of the 80s and 90s were famous for it. Wimbledon F.C. survived in the top flight of English soccer for many years and even won an F.A. Cup on the back of a strong sense of 'one for all and all for one'.

The European Ryder Cup team in golf usually boast players that are much lower ranked than their American counterparts yet their greater sense of camaraderie and teamwork has seen them win three of the last four tournaments. It is obvious that in team sports a shared spirit and willingness to work hard will generally meet with success and can overcome considerable obstacles and challenges on the way. Let's hope that the Cavan team will harness this spirit of the underdog and slay a few Goliaths this year.

Sense of purpose

The Church as a human institution made up of many different parts is also a team. It is a team that, like all others, requires unity, togetherness and a sense of purpose in order to achieve its goals. In the past, blind obedience and an unquestioning respect for authority maintained this sense of unity and purpose among Catholics particularly in Ireland. But such unity and purpose was built on shaky and unhealthy foundations.

As the last century progressed more and more people had the opportunity to be educated and as a result were more inclined to think for themselves. Over the past 50 years the feminist movement has enabled women to find a voice and demand a long over due equality with men and, most critically, popular culture has questioned absolute power and authority in all its forms. In such a changing world, the Church is perceived, rightly or wrongly, as an institution that is out of step and out of touch with the majority of people today.

Those of us who believe in the Church, and are still committed members, have to find a shared sense of identity and purpose if we are to grow in strength again.

The Church finds its purpose and identity in mission. It is not meant to be just a social gathering of like-minded people. It is not just an answer to personal spiritual needs. It is not just an organisation that provides a service to mark the major milestones in life. It is not just an agency that brings comfort and support during the difficult times of life. The Church does of course incorporate all of these elements but its first and most important purpose is to be missionary - to bring Jesus Christ to people. It brings Jesus to those who have never heard of him but also to all of us who have heard of him but have not yet fully converted to the Christian way of life.

Baptism

The mission of the Church demands that all of us play our part. Teamwork is an essential element of Church membership. Its mission cannot be left solely to those who are ordained but must be shared by all those who are baptised. Our often poor understanding of what it means to be a member of the Church has its origins in our poor understanding of the sacrament of baptism. As most of us were baptised as children we have very little understanding of what the sacrament means. We don't remember it. Very rarely is it recalled in conversation. Yet our baptism was the most significant moment of our lives.

On the day of our baptism, we were anointed for our God given vocation and purpose in life and through the sacrament we share in the three-fold mission of Jesus Christ who was priest, prophet and king. A priest offers a sacrifice to God on behalf of the people but when we participate in the sacrifice of the Mass we bring with us all our sacrifices - our work and our prayers - and offer them to the Father along with the Lord's body and blood. In that way lay worshippers at the Mass consecrate the world to God. As sharers in the prophetic role of Jesus all the baptised have a responsibility to accept the gospel in faith, pass it on to others and to recognise and denounce evil in the world. Jesus came to establish his kingdom and as we share in his kingly mission we are also called to continue to establish that kingdom in history. It is a remarkable dignity we are given through our baptism but also a tremendous challenge.

Deeper Involvement

It is very unfortunate that this vocation of all the laity has been downplayed by the hierarchy of the Church throughout most of its history. The ordained ministry has been over emphasised and over stated to the detriment of lay involvement. The effect of this has been to produce a class apart within the Church, a clerical caste which holds the most influence and power.

It has left lay people passive and lacking the knowledge and confidence they need to pursue their baptismal vocation. This is no longer a viable way to operate. Indeed to maintain a clerically dominated institution where lay people, and particularly women, are not involved in decision making at the very highest level will cause untold damage to the Church and deepen a crisis which is already serious.

To save our credibility we must go back to the very beginning, to our baptism, to the moment when we were received into the church family. We need to re-examine the gifts and graces it bestows upon each one of us and the responsibility it also brings. Only when each Christian realises that they are on the team, not sitting on the ditch, will we begin to achieve the mission of Jesus and transform ourselves and the world we live in.

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