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All Good Things
October 24, 2024

Rebuild My Church

There is an experience of radical transformation and transition, a redefinition of civilization that has never been seen before, strong military and political conflicts, serious decline in morality, the practice of religion at an all-time low, corruption and abuse in government and church, health crises, great poverty in the face of enormous wealth, and the upheaval of religious foundations there. Does this sound familiar?

It seems to be an accurate description of 21st-century post-modern society, but it is also a description of the world in the 13th century when people experienced the same state of affairs. There was a radical transformation and transition from a feudal society to a merchant-oriented society, which profoundly impacted the social order. No longer was wealth determined by owning land; now, a merchant class evolved, and wealth was seen in terms of currency rather than land. Military advances re-opened roads that were constructed during the Roman Empire. As a result, it led to greater communication that brought many from the isolation of their environment and exposed them to the world. Similar in many respects to the profound impact of social media, rapid communication, and the widespread use of cell phones, computers, and other technological tools in our day, not to mention the other parallels listed above.

Living with such profound change is unnerving at best, especially when you consider the radical transition in the past 130 years. In those years, we have moved literally from the horse and buggy age to an age of air travel, space exploration, and instant communication. Sometimes, we may conclude that the world is moving too fast and may be coming to an end. I would suggest that was the fear of many in the 13th century.

Francesco Bernadone was born in Assisi in 1181. His father was part of the emerging merchant class. He led a life of relative ease and privilege until events in his life brought about a profound change.

My parish church, St. Francis in Hoboken, New Jersey, has a beautiful mosaic of the San Damiano cross over the main altar. From the San Damiano cross, Francis heard the Lord say, "Francis, rebuild my church; it is falling into ruins." There, we know that it took time and the Pope's vision to enable Francis to embrace what those words really implied.

I once heard a lecture from a church historian who said, "If we knew church history, we would never lose hope because we have been there before." History in the 13th century presented an ominous picture, but God always showed the way and renewed his church. The same could be said for our times.

When I kneel before the Mosaic in our church or before the original San Damiano cross in the Basilica of Santa Chiara in Assisi, I experience renewed hope. God has not forgotten his people; in a sense, he is raising a new Francis of Assisi in all of us who listen to His command to "rebuild my church, my world, my kingdom for they are falling into ruins."

Monsignor Paul L. Bochicchio
St. Francis Parish, Hoboken, New Jersey


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