Why does the NCW have to hold a separate mass? Why don't they just go to church like the regulars Catholics do? Why the need for a separate celebration?
The
Neocatechumenal Way is an organizational and educational tool for the faithful in the Catholic Church.
It is based on small communities, that are interrelated across parishes
and physical spaces. This setup as a huge network of faith
communities produces incredibly plenty of fruits for the Way and for the Church, which is undeniable.
How these fruits are produced? Well, in the small communities
- a natural inclination of the faithful toward each other is freed up and
- a space of deepening faith is opened.
1. Because we Christians are sisters and brother in Christ, it is just natural that we open up our arms toward each other. We support each other, learn from each other and grow together in faith. Could the same things happen apart from the communities? Well, it definitely could. But faith communities provide a background that perhaps best fits our natural inclinations. The evidence is coming not only from the Early Christian Church but even from the whole 2000 years of the history of Christianity.
2. We Catholics base our faith on the Scripture, on the Christian Tradition and on the Holy Liturgy. These are equally important, but the Scripture may have a preeminent role. Studying the Scripture together is the first step of true fellowship in Christ. We rely on each other and experience each others faith. This will nurture our own faith and will create a space of deepening faith that leads us closer to the Lord. We all have a little Jesus living in us by baptism. We need to nourish this little Jesus in us by faith and deeds guided by the Holy Spirit so that this little Jesus could grow large in us and may take over our lives one day.
In small communities all this can take place. Inclination and deepening faith become the sources of plenty of fruits. They form a coordinate system measuring up the space of our walking toward the Lord, plain and simple.
The
celebration of the Eucharist is at the heart and soul of all faith
communities. It is just reasonable to follow our coordinates of fruitfulness
and celebrate this most solemn weekly event as in a community of
communities. Even though we also attend regular masses in our churches from time to time as described in the Statutes of the Way. Hopefully, all Catholics with open mind and unbiased
thinking will recognize the powerful potential of small faith communities in
their own hearts. We all know who is the One we are coming all around together. We are the same flock of the Lord, after all.
