My responsibility for the Church

Abstract

This article shows how important an element that builds responsibility is caring for the Church. According to the teachings of the Second Vatican Council, the Church does not identify itself with a political community, is not associated with any political system, and is not one of many parties or social organizations. Hence, the responsibility of the Church cannot be reduced to concern for the achievement of only temporal human goals, and vice versa, care and responsibility for the Church cannot be reduced only to the issue of religious practice. The specificity of the Church and its mission results from the theandric nature of the Church, which is focused on eschatological fulfillment. The Church still remembers Christ’s call: “seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Mt 6:33). Man’s responsibility in the Church is born from astonishment at the greatness of his dignity and from accepting the gift of the admonishing Spirit speaking to the Churches. This always takes place in the encounter of a human person with God the Redeemer. A mature, properly formed person is characterized by his degree of responsibility and how he exercises it in his life. Responsibility for oneself and one’s loved ones is also expressed in responsibility for the Church community in a broad sense. As Antoni Nadbrzezny states: “God is not a threat to human freedom. In the saving dialogue, the Church discovers the truth that man and God are united by mutual responsibility, which is the second name of love”.