- Feb 5, 2002
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Johannes Schelhas: Why the Church must rediscover baptism
Jesuit-trained Father Schelhas
The Eucharist is considered the pinnacle of Christian life. The theologian Johannes Schelhas, however, calls for a shift in perspective: not the Eucharist, but baptism must be placed at the center – with far-reaching consequences for the Church, its ministries, and parish life.
The Eucharist is the "source and pinnacle" of Christian life. In your latest publication, "Sacrament in Growth and Decline," you speak of the "primacy of baptism over the Eucharist." Is this a theological provocation – or a pastoral necessity?
Johannes Schelhas*: It is a provocation and at the same time a necessity. Simultaneously, it is an idea that has accompanied the Christian faith from the very beginning, but which has faded into the background over the centuries. The Reformation movements of the late Middle Ages and the modern era already took up this idea again. The stronger emphasis on baptism is not directed against the Eucharist. The Second Vatican Council redeveloped the meaning of the Eucharist—especially in light of the concept of Christ's presence among the people of God. The title of my book alludes to various aspects of living, understanding, and celebrating the sacraments.
"In this way, Christian witness becomes visible, and faith gains radiance."
What consequences would it have for our understanding of the Church if Baptism were rediscovered as the fundamental act of ecclesial existence?
Schelhas: Then, above all, the close connection between the three sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist—would have to be re-examined. These three belong together and form the foundation of Christian life—personally and communally. What God communicates to believers in them establishes the so-called ecclesial existence of baptized people, through which they participate in the Church and society and fulfill the tasks of the Kingdom of God in school, work, and leisure, as well as in interpersonal relationships. In this way, Christian witness becomes visible, and faith gains radiance.
Is your primacy of baptism an answer to the shortage of priests?
Continued below.
cathcon.blogspot.com
Jesuit-trained Father Schelhas
The Eucharist is considered the pinnacle of Christian life. The theologian Johannes Schelhas, however, calls for a shift in perspective: not the Eucharist, but baptism must be placed at the center – with far-reaching consequences for the Church, its ministries, and parish life.
The Eucharist is the "source and pinnacle" of Christian life. In your latest publication, "Sacrament in Growth and Decline," you speak of the "primacy of baptism over the Eucharist." Is this a theological provocation – or a pastoral necessity?
Johannes Schelhas*: It is a provocation and at the same time a necessity. Simultaneously, it is an idea that has accompanied the Christian faith from the very beginning, but which has faded into the background over the centuries. The Reformation movements of the late Middle Ages and the modern era already took up this idea again. The stronger emphasis on baptism is not directed against the Eucharist. The Second Vatican Council redeveloped the meaning of the Eucharist—especially in light of the concept of Christ's presence among the people of God. The title of my book alludes to various aspects of living, understanding, and celebrating the sacraments.
"In this way, Christian witness becomes visible, and faith gains radiance."
What consequences would it have for our understanding of the Church if Baptism were rediscovered as the fundamental act of ecclesial existence?
Schelhas: Then, above all, the close connection between the three sacraments of initiation—Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist—would have to be re-examined. These three belong together and form the foundation of Christian life—personally and communally. What God communicates to believers in them establishes the so-called ecclesial existence of baptized people, through which they participate in the Church and society and fulfill the tasks of the Kingdom of God in school, work, and leisure, as well as in interpersonal relationships. In this way, Christian witness becomes visible, and faith gains radiance.
Is your primacy of baptism an answer to the shortage of priests?
Continued below.
Heresy pure. A modernist lays out their plans to destroy the Mass and the priesthood
cathcon.blogspot.com
