Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today

by Pope Benedict XVI

Rare Book

Genres: Theology, Catholic, Religion, Ecclesiology, Christian, Nonfiction, Christianity

165 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

About the author

Originally Joseph Ratzinger , a noted conservative theologian before his election in 2005, Benedict XVI strove against the influence of secularism during his papacy to defend traditional Catholic teachings but since medieval times first resigned in 2013.

After Joseph Ratzinger served a long career as an academic and a professor at the University of Regensburg, Pope Paul VI appointed him as archbishop of Munich and Freising and cardinal in 1977. In 1981, he settled in Rome as prefect of the congregation for the doctrine of the faith, one most important office of the Roman curia. He also served as dean of the college of cardinals.

Benedict XVI reigned 265th in virtue of his office of bishop of Rome, the sovereign of the state of Vatican City and the head of the Church. A conclave named him on 19 April 2005; he celebrated his inaugural Mass on 24 April 2005 and took possession of his Lateran cathedral basilica of Saint John on 7 May 2005.

Benedict XVI succeeded Saint John Paul II, predecessor and his prolific writings on doctrine and values. Benedict XVI advocated a return to fundamental Christian values to counter the increase of many developed countries. Relativism denied objective truth and moral truths in particular; he viewed this central problem of the 21st century. With the importance of the Church, he understood redemptive love of God. He reaffirmed the "importance of prayer in the face of the activism" "of many Christians engaged in charitable work." Benedict also revived a number and elevated the Tridentine Mass to a more prominent position.

Benedict founded and patronized of the Ratzinger foundation, a charitable organization, which from the sale of books and essays makes money to fund scholarships and bursaries for students across the world.

Due to advanced age on 11 February 2013, Benedict announced in a speech in Latin and cited a "lack of strength of mind and body" before the cardinals. He effectively left on 28 February 2013.As emeritus, Benedict retained the style of His Holiness, and the title and continued to dress in the color of white. He moved into the newly renovated monastery of Mater Ecclesiae for his retirement. Pope Francis succeeded him on 13 March 2013.

(more info on Ratzinger Foundation: https://www.ewtn.com/library/Theology...)

Reviews

[Jeff Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A small sample:

“Everything that men make can also be undone again by others. Everything that has its origin in human likes can be disliked by others. Everything that one majority decides upon can be revoked by another majority. A church based on human resolutions becomes a merely human church. It is reduced to the level of the makeable, of the obvious, of opinion. Opinion replaces faith. And in fact, in the self-made formulas of faith with which I am acquainted, the meaning of the words “I believe” never signifies anything beyond “we opine”. Ultimately, the self-made church savors of the “self”, which always has a bitter taste to the other self and just as soon reveals its petty insignificance. A self-made church is reduced to the empirical domain and thus, precisely as a dream, comes to nothing” (139-140).

There can be people who are engaged uninterruptedly in the activities of Church associations and yet are not Christians. There can be people who simply live by word and sacrament alone and practice the love born of faith without ever having attended Church groups, without ever having concerned themselves with the novelties of ecclesiastical politics, without having taken part in synods and voted in them and yet are true Christians. We need, not a more human, but a more divine Church; then she will also become truly human.
And for this reason everything man-made in the Church must recognize its own purely ancillary character and leave the foreground to what truly matters. (145-146)

[Conor · Rating 5 out of 5]

On rereading this book, I had to move it up from 4 to 5 stars. What an incredible little book. I don't have anything too smart to say about it, just that it helped in my understanding of the Church and what true communion means. There are so many wonderful nuggets in this book and while it really is a series of essays that are combined, the whole thing hangs together quite well. If you want a window into the communio theology that is at the heart of Ratzinger-Benedict's thought, this is a good starting place.

[Mike Kilcoyne]

“I acknowledge that God himself speaks and acts; I recognize the existence not only of what is ours but also of what is his. But if this is true, if we are not the only ones who choose and act, but he too speaks and acts, then everything changes. Then I must obey, then I must follow him, even when he leads me where I do not wish to go.” -Pope Benedict XVI

[Richard Grebenc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Called to Communion: Understanding the Church Today starts off with three theology lectures for a course on universal vs. particular Churches for bishops in Brazil, followed by an address to the Synod of Bishops on the priesthood, a talk on ecclesial reform to conclude an annual meeting in Rimini, and finally a homily preached at a seminary in Philadelphia which is added to "clarify once more the spiritual orientation of the whole book" (from the Foreword). All of these events took place in 1990, but the material is as relevant, if not more so, today.

The stated goal in the Foreword of offering "a sort of primer of Catholic ecclesiology" to "bring clarity and help in the crisis of ecclesial consciousness" is fulfilled in spades. The nature of the book and the audiences it was directed toward originally does not allow Cardinal Ratzinger to go into the level of detail I would have like to have seen, but nevertheless he is quite successful at giving the reader a good overview of Catholic ecclesiology, particularly as it relates to the roles of bishops, priests, and the nature of true reform in the Church.

In the first chapter he establishes the origin of the Church in Jesus, of course, by using not only Gospel testimony, but also Paul's doctrine of the Church as the Body of Christ, and the beginnings of Church functioning in the Acts of the Apostles.

Chapter Two deals with Petrine primacy and the unity of the Church. The author acknowledges the ecumenical difficulty of this question, but goes on to solidly show the status of Peter as "Rock", as head of the Twelve, and as keeper of the "keys" which he deals with at the greatest length of the three points. Succession is one of the areas that would have been worth exploring more, but his appeal to early Christian writers Irenaeus and Eusebius is effective, and he hits a home run with this observation: "[I]t is impossible to avoid the idea of succession once the word is transmitted in Scripture is considered to be a sphere open to the future" (p. 67).

The next chapter gets to the heart of the theology lectures: the universal and particular Churches and the role of the bishop. Unsurprisingly, the Eucharist is seen as the heart of ecclesiology - it is the unifying factor. Orthodox and Protestant views are contrasted with each other and the Catholic approach, and the conclusion is reached that "communio is catholic, or it simply doesn't exist at all" (p. 82). The bishopric is traced back to Peter, James, and Paul, and then as now, the bishop is called to be a missionary of the whole Church, not just his local Church, and he must be ready to suffer as his Lord did.

The essence of the priesthood is the topic of the fourth chapter. This is a very full chapter. He bemoans the fact that a new look back tried to justify the priesthood by looking at its biblical roots and deeming it a functional role only. He provocatively states that this view was reached by Reformation-era arguments and exegesis largely nourished by Reformation presuppositions. But while Cardinal Ratzinger recognized that the ministries seemed ill-defined in the early Church, he sees the foundation of ministerial office in apostleship: Jesus sent the apostles and gave them everything they had - he conferred the mission and himself as mission. Apostolic succession is not treated in depth, but he uses solid passages from Acts, Peter, and Corinthians to stress the sacramental nature of bishops and priests. He closes the chapter with some deeply moving reflections of a more spiritual nature (a must read for all priests).

The last chapter deals with renewal of the Church, contrasting futile and authentic reform. It is the best chapter in the book and one I'd like to get in the hands of every Catholic or anyone who wants to understand the pope's authentic view of reform and renewal. A democratic Church that so many long for will never work: "A church based on human resolutions becomes a merely human church. It is reduced to the level of the makeable, of the obvious, of opinion. Opinions replace faith. And in fact, in the self-made formulas of faith with which I am acquainted, the meaning of the words `I believe' never signifies anything beyond `we opine'" (pp. 139-140). True reform is based on a full faith itself in the freedom that the Lord offers which is our true freedom. Reform begins with each person through personal morality (liberation from sin, not guilt), forgiveness (imaging Jesus), and expiation (purification through pain and suffering in communion with Christ).

The epilogue continues the theme of the last chapter, emphasizing the dangers of "factional strife" within the Church, instead calling us to be "coworkers of God" (it is clear where he came up with his episcopal motto "Fellow worker in the truth").

This book is relatively short at 165 pages but very rich. It is worth getting for everyone who wants to understand the authentic mind of the Church as enunciated by the current pontiff.

[autumnatopoeia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had hoped this book would be more accessible to someone who is not Catholic and did not grow up with that teaching, since the subtitle reads: "Understanding the church today". However, this was a challenging read for me. It could've been the writing style or the translation, but I don't feel like I understand the church anymore now than I did before reading this. I truly wanted to learn more... But I think I will have to find something more accessible to non-Catholics.

[Marcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pope Benedict is extremely eloquent and profound. I could read this book many times and still have more to learn about the church. It is a beautiful look at the Catholic Church - What it is and what it is called to be.

[Heather Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read. I had to read it for class but thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot.

[Robbie Deacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ratzinger’s Called to Communion is the best book on ecclesiology I’ve read and one of my favourite theology books. It’s an inspiring primer on Catholic ecclesiology with heavy emphasis on Biblical exegesis. Worth the read for anybody looking for a deeper understanding of what scripture says about the Church!

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

He makes very sophisticated and intelligent arguments, but really he's just going in circles using very abstract and reaching logic. In the end, it's the classic "[X] is tradition because if it didn't deserve to be tradition, then it wouldn't be tradition."

[Sam Fink · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional insight into the role of priests. A beautiful accounting of the Church and its need for reform for each generation. An explanation of how the Church transcends the members and fulfills the personal journey for each of its members.

[Joshua Casteel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly informative, particularly amid the flurry of misinformation about Ratzinger/Benedict. That being said, there still exists a great disparity between theory and praxis.

[Laine]

This is a wonderful book about the Church as it is today and in relation to other faiths. All should read it.

[Jason Addington · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book on the importance of community within the Church as it relates to the importance of the Eucharist.

[Bob Bellamy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deep ecclesiological insight!

[Faith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a lovely book, even reading as a reformed person, it nearly made me cry. Lots and lots of interesting exegesis.

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great little book on the meaning of the word Church and the communion of everyone in the Church.

[Michael · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very dry, but some interesting thoughts on the Faith.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally finished this book. It was really heavy (my brain can't always wrap around books like this). It was really good though, as evidenced by the amount of quotes I wrote down. Written by Pope Benedict when he was a Cardinal it delves into the origins of the church and takes a look at how the church is today. Glad I read it but also glad I'm done. :)

“God is the father of the family, Jesus the master of the house, and it therefore stands to reason that he addresses the members of this people as children, even though they are adults, and that to gain true understanding of themselves, those who belong to this people must first lay down their grown-up autonomy and acknowledge themselves as children before God (cf. Mk 10:24, Mt 11:25). 9” (p. 23-24).

“Hence, Communion means the fusion of existences; just as in the taking of nourishment the body assimilates foreign matter to itself, and is thereby enabled to live, in the same way my ‘I’ is ‘assimilated’ to that of Jesus, it is made similar to him in an exchange that increasingly breaks through the lines of division”(p. 37).

“In this history we repeatedly encounter two situations. On the one hand, the papacy remains the foundation of the Church in virtue of a power that does not derive from herself. At the same time, individual popes have again and again become a scandal because of what they themselves are as men, because they want to precede, not follow, Christ, because they believe that they must determine by their own logic the path that only Christ himself can decide: ‘You do not think God’s thoughts, but man’s’(Mt 16:23).”(p. 61).

“The Church is founded upon forgiveness. Peter himself is a personal embodiment of this truth, for he is permitted to be the bearer of the keys after having stumbled, confessed and received the grace of pardon”(p. 64).

“She is held together by forgiveness, and Peter is the perpetual living reminder of this reality: she is not a communion of the perfect but a communion of sinners who need and seek forgiveness”(p. 64).

“Having said all that, the site of Peter’s martyrdom nonetheless appears clearly as the chief bearer of his supreme authority and plays a preeminent role in the formation of tradition”(p. 71).

“That its center is forgiveness is both its intrinsic condition and the sign of distinctive character of God’s power”(p. 73).

“praising the Lord, who does not abandon the Church and who desired to manifest that he is the rock through Peter, the little stumbling stone”(p. 74).

“It is not the perfecting of one’s own self that makes one holy but the purification of the self through its fusion into the all-embracing love of Christ: it is the holiness of the triune God himself”(p. 95).

“All of this shows, in conclusion, that the readiness to suffer also belongs to the episcopal office. Whoever regarded this office above all as an honor or as an influential position would misunderstand its essential nature. Without the readiness to undergo suffering, this tack cannot be exercised. Precisely in this way the bishop is in communion with his Lord; precisely in this way he knows himself to be a ‘servant of your joy’ (2 Cor. 1:24)”(p. 103).

“When we inquire about the center of the New Testament, we come immediately to Christ himself. What is new about it is not, strictly speaking, ideas-the novelty is a person: God who becomes man and draws man to himself”(p. 111).

“the gift of grace that always comes from without and can be attained only in receiving”(p. 120).

“The Church as a whole must be God’s dwelling in the world and the place where he is adored”(p. 126).

“This rage at the Church, or disappointment with her, has a particular quality, because in their heart of hearts people expect more of her than of all worldly institutions. It is in the Church that the dream of a better world should be realized”(p. 135).

“Just as our aim in politics is to introduce at long last a better world, we think that we must establish-perhaps as a first step toward the political goal-a better Church: a Church full of humanity, pervaded by a spirit of brotherhood and large-minded creativity, a place of reconciliation of all and for all”(p. 136).

[“no one must any longer remain a passive receiver of the gift of Christian existence. Rather, all should be active agents of it”(p. 137)]

“But there is no human life without suffering, and he who is incapable of accepting suffering is refusing himself the purifications that alone allow us to reach maturity. In communion with Christ, pain becomes meaningful, not only for myself, as a process of ablatio in which God purges me of the dross that conceals his image, but beyond me, for the whole, so that we can all say with Saint Paul: ‘But not I rejoice in my sufferings for you and so complete in my flesh what is still lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of his body, the Church’ (Col 1:24)”(p. 155).

“’None of us lives for himself, and no one dies for himself. If we live, we live for the Lord; if we die, we die for the Lord; whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s’(Rom 14:7f)”(p. 156).

[Pippo Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Called to Communion is an enlightening study on the nature of what it means to be Church. In typical fashion, Ratzinger divulges the beauty of the truth of scripture, revealing the foundation and necessity of the most necessary and debated parts of our Church. He sets high standards for priests, bishops, and popes and sets forth expectations that the world would see him accomplish himself during his papacy.
If nothing else, I would recommend reading the chapter “On the Essence of the Priesthood.” It is essential.

[Katherine Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent treatment of many challenges facing the Church and a call to renewed commitment to Christ Himself and the transformation of the Spirit. He rightly addresses many concerns with factions and a self-made version of the Church that is more concerned with what human members prefer than our call to holiness in Christ. The question of the papacy specifically and ordained priesthood is dealt with very insightfully. It provides much to contemplate in who we are called to live and be as Catholic Christians.

[Kevin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The wisdom shared in Called to Communion by Ratzinger remains ever relevant for the Church today. Particularly insightful are the discussions on the essence of the priesthood and the essence of true reform. This short work gets to the heart of what it means to be Church and is one worth multiple readings.

[Joshua Ocon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As always, Ratzinger addresses fundamental questions in a way more profound than one would usually expect. Responding to the relevant theological points raised during his time, Ratzinger proceeds to further the discussion to bring out themes culled out from an effective scriptural exegesis, thus, addressing the concern of continual relevance, regardless of the trends of the time.

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

Benedict XVI is the premiere theologian of our time. In this wonderful book he helps us better understand the mystical underpinnings of the sacramental church. A must read for anyone wishing to discuss Christian theology.

[Christopher McCaffery · Rating 4 out of 5]

German Theology Man strikes again.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even as a Protestant, I always come away with rich, biblical insights from the pen of Ratzinger.

[Gab Nug · Rating 3 out of 5]

For Ecclesiology undergrad course. A pretty okay text by the good pope-emeritus. Don't recall anything super inspiring or mind-blowing, but of course nothing that would ever near heresy.

[Eddie Mercado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clear and concise. But ultimately fails biblically and theologically.

[Tyler Pedersen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great insights from this dyed-in-the-wool protestant's favorite pope.