In a continuation of our conversation about sacramental readiness, I’d just like to finish up by addressing the confusion I’ve seen from folks who have lived in a different diocese, or two, around the United States or abroad. They often ask why there are different timetables and procedures regarding the preparation for sacraments. As I said before, a bishop determines the proper age for celebration of sacraments within his (arch)diocese, as long as those standards fall within Canon Law and the rubrics of the rites themselves. The difference, however, lies in the fact that these texts often provide “wiggle room” that allow for different interpretation or different choices for implementation. What?! Wiggle room? Different interpretation? How can that be? Aren’t we a Church founded on structure and rules? Doesn’t this mean the Church should tighten up those “rules” so we are all in full lockstep?
Well… before you get upset, consider our current situation: Currently, we belong to a worldwide Church where there is great disparity in opportunities for formation, distances traveled for Mass, and more. The wiggle room allows a bishop to address the particular needs of the people of his (arch)diocese. Consider, also, the future: It is a future that will pose situations that we aren’t used to. Americans residing in the Midwest or Northeast Coast are used to sacraments, pretty much, on demand. Even as we begin to feel the effects of our looming priest shortage, the opportunities for the celebration of sacraments are likely to change. Those changes may mean that a sacrament may be more dependent on the availability of a presider rather than the age of the recipient. We can’t forget, however, that there are places in the world where Mass attendance is booming, and their communities are facing very different growing pains, with Catholic communities where none had been before. Whether facing issues of the present, or the future, it helps to remember that the Church has seen over two-thousand years of ebb and flow.
As I said before, some of the disparity we see is based on a bishop’s understanding of his people and their particular circumstances. For example, cultural norms can influence the decisions that are made. If families are accustomed to a very brief courtship, for example, the bishop may feel that a brief marriage preparation process is all that he is able to expect. His experience, with the people of the area, tells him that if he were to implement a six-month process, like we have in our archdiocese, couples would just opt out of a church ceremony. With a desire for couples to have the opportunity and desire to celebrate the Sacrament of Marriage in the Church, he implements a brief preparation process. At other times, the availability of resources and staffing mean that formation is brief or the Sacraments of Initiation are celebrated together (Baptism, Confirmation, and Eucharist). While it might feel like these “practical” situations shouldn’t influence the preparation for, and celebration of, these “spiritual and Godly” events, they have to. They have to because sacraments are conferred upon humans, and humans weren’t made to fit into a perfect mold. They have to because we’d rather be able to provide the opportunity for a sacrament, even if that means that the preparation is different than what we deem to be ideal or the ages of the recipients aren’t all the same. There is wisdom and grace in allowing for this flexibility.
As for our Church in the future, get ready to see creative solutions for shifting populations and the reality that we can’t work our priests like dogs and expect the Church to flourish. Population shifts, including those that see a diminishment in one region and a rise in another, aren’t new to the Church, even though they feel new to us. Those shifts mean change, variety, and nimbleness. While holding onto what is non-negotiable, and allowing for creativity and diversity elsewhere, it is helpful to remember that meeting people “where they are” has been modeled for us from the start. Just like Jesus, who went out to the people—eating with them, performing miracles upon them, teaching and praying with them—we are asked to step outside the doors to our buildings and walk with others, embracing the messiness of life. Cookie cutters and shoehorns can’t be part of our equipment if we want to accompany people like Jesus did.