July 1, 2005
Fixin’ what’s broke
Last week we explored the notion of Original Sin. It became clear that this wound to our person is profoundly deep. With a bit of reflection we can see its effect in every relationship we have - with strangers, family and with God. The disunity, distrust, and domination in our relationships gives a view, like a photographic negative, of what our relationships are meant to be. It is the opposite of the communion we are meant to have with other persons.
Communion is a word we hear so often it loses its meaning. There is the Communion we receive, the Eucharist, which is meant to unite us with Christ. There is also the communion between a husband and wife, the communion of the saints and the faithful, and the community we have in our parish and town. If you look at the list I just gave, you'll see the concentric rings of relationships in our lives. It's like the rings of a tree that radiate outward, with varying degrees of communion that we are meant to have. Communion has to do with relationships between persons. To be in a communion of persons is, in fact, one of the most fundamental calls that we as human beings have. God said, "It is not good for man to be alone."(Gen 2:18) "God did not create man a solitary being."(CCC283) Man needs others to fulfill his humanity precisely because God created us to be loving beings. But what is a Communion of persons?
Com , in Latin, means with, and to the utmost degree. The munion part is a Latin root, munera, meaning to build up, or to defend. Therefore, at the core of a Communion of persons there is a mutual giving of self to build up and defend the other to the utmost degree. The communion is between the whole of the persons involved, body and soul. In the most intimate of our relationships it is a reciprocal, total gift of self, which reflects the image of God in the communion of persons in the Trinity. So, man and woman in marriage give their whole persons, body and soul to each other, first to build each other up in holiness and second to bear children who are called to become holy. Less intimate relationships are also meant to be concerned with the whole of the other person's welfare. Thus, we serve others who are in need physically and spiritually, even praying for those who hate us. Reflecting on this, you'll see that every sacrament in God's plan of redemption is about re-establishing the concentric rings of personal communion, not just marriage. Baptism re-establishes us in communion with God by bringing the Divine Trinity to dwell within us. The Eucharist builds up our person in Jesus' total gift of self as we consume his body and blood and it unites us with the faithful. Penance rights us with God and neighbor. Thus, the sacraments are the antidotes to the disorder of Original Sin.
Fr. John Anthony Boughton, CFR
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