A shared responsibility

As highlighted in recent weeks, the papacy has a very important symbolic value. Thus, the sense given to that function is not irrelevant, nor is the person who assumes the position. It is clear that Pope John XXIII marked a new era in the history of the Church when he asked for a return to the essentials and a deep aggiornamento (updating), which generated a wave of hope for many people.

However, I am not so naive as to think that the Church will become more Gospel-centered simply by changing the Pope. They say that expectations are premeditated frustrations, so I try to keep in mind that the Church is built on the day-to-day experience of thousands of people who authentically seek to live their faith, and I remind myself that I must be one of them.

Yes, I dream of a Church which is unassuming, contemplative, unconditionally welcoming; the servant of all, especially the most vulnerable; open to dialogue, an actual community; giving greater prominence to the laity, especially women… But I know that I have a responsibility to build this Church.

If Pope John XXIII was able to convene the Second Vatican Council, it was because something was moving within the Church long before. He was probably only the catalyst for a broader renewal movement arising from the grassroots of the Church.

The Church hierarchy has its own responsibility, but we should not abdicate our own, as if everything depended on a small group of men. The resignation of Benedict XVI, was it not in fact an invitation for every Christian to use our freedom as sons and daughters of God, and assume our own responsibility?

Perhaps the question, then, is not what the Pope will do, but what can we do ourselves for the Church.

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Taken from the magazine Vida Nueva – http://www.vidanueva.es