Father Thomas Welbers' Homily	Jump back to Homily Index
Sixth Sunday of Easter, May 16, 2004 Acts 15:1-2, 22-29 Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23 John 14:23-29	Listen to Audio

Is there a way of making decisions that is specifically Christian? I think that, taken together, our readings today answer “yes” to that question.

When I say “a way of making decisions that is specifically Christian,” I’m not so much referring to the content, or even the outcome of the decision, as I am the process, the path one takes to decide. Of course, it is important that major decisions, both personal and societal, be in accord with Scripture and the heritage of our faith and teaching. That’s a given. But a lot of times we make bad decisions because we do not pay attention to the process that has to go into a good decision. How often, when things go wrong, do we say, “but it seemed so right,” or “if only I had known,” or, most commonly, “Gee, I though that was going to be OK with you!” Making decisions in the right way is really an exercise in both Christian justice and charity.

The first reading gives us a glimpse into the first major council of the early Church, and it was an important one. There was an issue that was tearing the infant community of Christians apart, and it had to do with whether or not one had to be Jewish in order to follow the way of Christ and be saved. That may seem like a no-brainer to us now, but it wasn’t so easy then. Nearly all the first followers of Jesus were Jewish, and many of them felt it was very important to hold onto their heritage – it wasn’t merely a matter of going through legal formalities. In fact, Jesus' way was seen as the fulfillment of everything that it meant to be Jewish. On the other hand, most of the earliest converts were not Jews, and they questioned whether they had to keep all the Jewish stuff, including circumcision, in order to follow the way Christ and be saved. Some of the apostles, especially Paul, saw this requirement as a great barrier to spreading the good news of Christ; others saw what Paul and his followers were proposing as a betrayal of the tradition on which they had based their lives. What to do?

Well, the first principle of effective decision making is the principle of subsidiarity – that means that the best decisions are always made at the level of those who are responsible for carrying them through. In fact, the cartoon strip Dilbert gets a great deal of mileage out of bad decisions made by a pointy-haired boss who hasn’t a clue what the people who actually carry out his decisions are doing. All too often, the authority structure of the Church has violated this principle: a remote authority makes the decision detached from those who are actually affected by it.

But sometimes it is necessary to bump the decision upstairs because it has broader implications. In this case, some kind of consultative decision-making process must always be involved. Here at Our Lady of the Assumption, we follow a principle that really is modeled on what the early Church did – it’s called “consult, decide, inform.” First we have to decide “who decides?” That’s not always as easy as it might seem. Who are the people affected by a decision, and who have to carry it out? Should it be an individual, or a small group, or the broad consensus of a large group? One thing that is the kiss of death for effective decision-making is a majority vote: basically that means that the desires of one crowd are pitted against the desires of another, and we get into political games. However, consensus means taking other peoples’ opinions and reasons as seriously as one’s own, and taking the time to come up with a decision that those involved can live with, even if it might not be their best choice.

In consensus, consultation has to take everyone’s point of view seriously, even if perhaps it’s not the one decided on. For example, for several months now, our parish leadership councils and pastoral council have been seeing the need for a change in our Sunday Mass schedule. You have a consultation form in the pews. There is no way that we can continue to sustain the present Mass schedule on Sunday morning, for many reasons that are listed on the sheet. The proposed change seemed best to all of those taking part in the decision, parish staff and leadership. But it’s not impossible that there’s something we are not seeing, and we need now to take it to you, for your opinions and feedback, before implementing any change. No decision has yet been made, and a final decision will be the result of this broad based consultative process. Just like the decision the apostles made in the first reading, it may perhaps generate some controversy, but it is also being done with care and prayer, confident that the Holy Spirit is guiding our parish. The quality of our celebrations of Sunday Mass is a basic value to our parish, and we do not take it lightly.

Also, this coming Thursday, you are invited to a gathering of ministers, the purpose of which is to open leadership roles in our parish to greater participation of our parishioners. One of the members of our pastoral council will speak about this at the end of Mass, and I ask you to pay close attention then.

Just like the early Church, we have confidence in the gift of the Holy Spirit, who, as Jesus promised, will teach and lead us more and more deeply into the ways of Christ.

© Thomas Welbers 2004

Here are some useful links, which provide material for the study of these liturgical readings, and reflections on their message:

The Text This Week, Sixth Sunday of Easter.

Daily Word of Life

The Center for Liturgy at St. Louis University

Lectionary Resource for Catholics