From Jerusalem to Vatican Two—Consensus Leadership
Today’s first reading, the Acts of the Apostles, is what historians call the first Council of the Church, led by then-Pope Peter. There have been 21 Ecumenical Councils since this first Council of Jerusalem leading up to the last Council—Vatican Two—called by Pope John XXIII which we now celebrate the 50th year anniversary of its opening during this Year of Faith. These 21 Church Councils have been called by popes to deal with major issues of doctrinal, faith, or pastoral concerns in the Church.
The first Council (Jerusalem) was called to deal with the issue of circumcision, which was of great concern between the Jewish and Gentile peoples in the formation of the new Christian faith. This first Council has come to be the model for Catholic decision making in our universal Church, in dioceses, and even in parishes. Church leaders are called to come together to pray, dis-cuss and discern an issue of import, just as Peter and others did at Jerusalem more than 2,000 years ago, and after debate, prayer and discussion, Peter, the first pope, made a decision—which we believe was (is) guided by the Holy Spirit, the Advocate whom Christ said He would send to us and who would lead us not only to All Truth but would also remind us of what He, Christ, taught us. This is what the Church calls the "Magisterium;" then Peter in this case—and future popes onward—in prayer, discernment, debate and guidance make a decision for the benefit of the whole Church.
This Council-style leadership is meant to be employed at the diocesan level with bishops and their consultative councils (Presbyteral Councils and Synods) and for pastors with their par-ish councils, on issues of major concern. This process should bring about a prayerful and thoughtful form of consensus-building-in-truth, where the end result is for the good of the whole Church, a particular diocese, or a parish. This Catholic consensus making should not bring about one individual’s choice, but rather, should develop a solution that serves the whole Church, where the big picture has been considered and attained. The Church does this not in a vacuum devoid of history, prayer and wisdom but where the truth given to us by Christ and which may not lend it-self to the "wisdom, desires or wants" of the modern world, is fully considered. Change is not sought for change’s sake or simp-ly to confirm to the whims of the day but in this process, past, present and future enfold—for Christ "was, is and forever will be" in our lives: Vocatus atque non vocatus deus aderit.
This is so very different from the process by which the public and private sectors work. In both cases, expediency is sought. Long-term consideration rarely looks beyond the next fiscal quarter; results are immediate, and consideration of outside sources—or even past history—is not always essential. More im-portant are the ever-present "core values" or "mission statements" framed on boardroom walls and imprinted on invoices and letter-head. Solving the problem is secondary; rather offering a superfi-cial key message is the goal. The Church, criticized often for be-ing slow to change , considers truth an everlasting ingredient to the final and eternal solution it seeks. To paraphrase St. Thomas Aquinas, she looks to the Big Picture.