Understanding Church Language

A couple of years ago, I was part of an Anglican diocese that wanted to change some of the language in their Canons and Constitutions to make it easier for the modern reader to understand. One of the words that they wanted to change was the word "parish." I don't remember the word they wanted to change it to, though it was probably "congregation." This frustrated me on a couple of different levels. Firstly, I don't know why we need to dumb things down, we can explain things to people to help them understand. Secondly, there is a reason we have used this word historically. Perhaps, we have something to learn from it and it is we who need to be educated.

Usually, the reasoning behind these changes is for the sake of missions, to lessen a barrier in our language for those coming into Anglicanism. Unfortunately, this particular change uprooted the foundation of what they thought they were accomplishing. People often come to Anglicanism because they are looking for something historically rooted, something that hasn't been dumbed down, something greater than themselves. Frankly, I think many realize that other churches pander to them too much and it takes away a rootedness in the Faith.

Ultimately, I think that Evangelicalism has crept into how we think we are to do mission work. Within that framework, mission work is understood as going out with mission organizations and getting people to say a sinner's prayer. They might even invite others to church, though it is often so that other people can take over and they can pat themselves on the back. The problem with this idea of missions is that it is not Anglican. It is too individualistic; there is no understanding, or at least a misunderstanding, of the church's role in the mission of God.

Let me back up for a moment. The problem with changing the term from parish is that the word comes from two Greek words "para" and "oikos" meaning around the house. The parish is not a building or a group of people that meet together. A parish is the area around the church building, which they are tasked with caring for and ministering to. If you were in a church's parish, that was the church you went to. There was no going to another church because you liked it better. You were a part of the parish you lived in, whether you liked it or not. And the parish priest was a part of your life, whether you wanted him to be or not. The idea of the parish is missional. These are the people and the area for which we are responsible to care for their souls and wellbeing. When you begin to talk about a "congregation", it focuses only on the people who come together and says little about the mission as part of their identity.

The Church is missional. Archbishop William Temple (1942-1944) said, "The Church is the only institution that exists primarily for the benefit of those who are not its members." (from his bookChristianity and Social Order) We are missional because we are joined to Christ, who is redeeming all things. As the Body of Christ, we are sent to participate in the work that Christ is bringing about. We participate in his work through, yes, proclamation and typical mission work, but we are chiefly rooted in Christ's work through prayer and the Mass. We pray that his will be done on earth as in heaven. We confess our sins so that the work of Christ is furthered in our lives. We celebrate and proclaim his death and resurrection and it is in this action that we are nourished and our participation furthers the very reality we proclaim.

The word "Mass" comes from the Latin "missa" which is said at the dismissal of Holy Communion, "Ite missa est" meaning "Go, it is the dismissal". This is an ancient practice and is equivalent to our dismissal when I say "Depart in peace." The very name used to refer to the Holy Communion service is named for its dismissal, its sending the people out.  This might appear odd to some people; surely there would be a more fitting term, or just call it Holy Communion. But I think there is much wisdom in using the term "the Mass" because it gets to a key point. Holy Communion is not just for us in that moment. In the sacrament, joined to the proclamation of Scripture and our prayers, we participate in the mission of God. We are nourished spiritually, we join our prayers to the person of Christ, and we are sent out into the world for the mission of God.

As if this wasn't enough to emphasize the point of the Mass sending us out into the world, we are given the image of the cross processing out. At the end of service, the cross goes forth into the world and we follow the cross of Christ into the world and join in the mission of God throughout the week. That doesn't mean you need to be overly evangelical in your conversations. But it does mean that as you follow the cross, your lives become shaped by the cross. You live a life of service, loving and caring for others. And are also able to give an account of your faith when asked.

If you think you might not have the tools, ponder what Christ has accomplished in his life, death, and resurrection and what he has done in your life. If you can give an account of the grace and hope you have received and you have been nourished by Christ and joined to his Body, then you have all the tools you need. Listen to others and seek to love them as you have been loved. Martin Luther has a quote that says, “The Christian shoemaker does his duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.” Go, do all things to the glory of God, and seek to care and love those whom God has placed in your path.

Pax Christi,

Fr. Aaron