Catholic Sensibility

Somewhere in the surfing of this past week, I read some blogger's retelling of the Rule of Benedict as it applies in community discernment. Namely, that in a group discussion, the abbot should solicit advice from the youngest members of the community first, working up through the trusted elders before himself speaking. John Allen on our new pope during the interregnum: He presided over 13 daily meetings of the General Congregation, the assembly of cardinals that worked through John Paul II’s rules for the transition, and then listened to one another describe the problems in their local churches. By most accounts, Ratzinger did a superb job leading these sessions, allowing each cardinal to have his say and even inviting people who had not yet spoken to do so. NCR's take on Benedict, especially this passage above, struck me as particularly Benedictine. It also struck me as sublimely pastoral and sensible. I caught myself at the hardware store today and thought I could do better in the future in my domestic church. Anita informed me months ago that water had seeped under our kitchen countertop and something had to be done as the wood underneath was not bound to be in sound condition for much longer. In the fine spirit of procrastination (and trying to squeeze several hundred dollars out of a family budget) I, of course, put off cabinet acquisition until recently. After school today, the three of us were at Lowe's: my dear wife, pondering the expasnion of the acquisition, my child trying to remain unbored, and me, the keeper of the family dollar, trying to remain financially solvent through First Communion. My wife and I got into a silly tiff over oak versus maple, a misunderstanding really ("Which do you prefer?" "I like the maple." "You don't have to say that just because I like it..." "Really, I prefer maple." "... because I could get used to the oak..." "Grrr, lets buy a grill instead and go home ..."). I waited till then to ask Brittany which she preferred. She, of course, went with Dad's choice of maple. But as she said it, I saw the wisdom in letting her have the first say in things like this. Later, when we were pricing dishwashers at Sears, and I discovered I had left my wallet in the car, she volunteered to get it, then to accompany me back to the parking lot. I suggested that she had a say in the dishwasher we'd get, and she should study the choices, because, after all, she'd have to operate it once we brought it home. Children should be personally invested in household things. I have fewer worries than my mother did about a child misusing the stereo or the stove or other things. And this line of thought carried me back to the Church situation. Many years ago, I was visiting some out-of-town friends. There had been some upheaval in religious ed or youth ministry or some combination thereof, as I recall. So I asked the kids what their take on the situation was, before I got the adult version. They seemed rather startled an adult was actually interested in their opinion. I was unaware of the Rule's position on discussions, but it seemed right to ask those most directly affected what their sense of the situation was. I have no idea how Pope Benedict would solicit the sense of the Church from a billion people, starting with those old enough to understand. But maybe that wouldn't be a bad place to start, be the person a pope, a pastor, or a parent. If you ask your kids about the state of the Church and their answer surprises you, feel free to share it in the comment boxes. As for me, I'm going to spend ample time reflecting on that approach in family, parish committees, and music groups, and seeing how it goes.