17 January
“Counselling” in the Church
A moment in the development of language in the early church can be found in the adjectives and adverbs that qualify their way of dealing with one another. For example, the sharing of the gifts of the Spirit was to be done “for the benefit of the community” (1 Cor14:12); “prophesying in turn, so that everyone will learn something.”( 1 Cor 14:31); everything was to be done “with propriety and in order” (1 Cor 14:40), “everybody is to be self-effacing” (Ph 2:3) in mutual relationships; …they were to grow as a body “fitted and joined together, every joint adding to its own strength.” (Eph 4:16). In the sections that deal with admonishment or disapproval, everything was to be done “in a spirit of gentleness” (Gal 6:1), and proclamation was be done “boldly” (Eph 6:20)
If we examine these and other aspects of the language, we realise that some constant themes emerge: order, kindness, diligence, care and attention, sufficient organisational ability to avoid confusion or dispersal… The counsel given in the Church was for itself, with the purpose of establishing order, unity, humility and obedience, to assist in overcoming impulsiveness, inopportune or untimely declarations, and the inability to gather ideas and put them together.
Card. Carlo Maria Martini
Il consigliare nella Chiesa
Al Consiglio pastorale diocesano, 15 aprile 1989
(published by the Priestly Branch of the Focolare Movement)
1月17日
教会内提供建议
在初期教会的交流中，我们发现不少形容词和副词来修饰沟通的形式。例如，神恩的互换，是为了“建立团体”（格前：14，12）；说先知话，应“一个一个的说，为使众人都能学习”（格前：14，31）； “一切都该照规矩按次第而行”（格前：14，40）；在相互关系中要“存心谦下”（斐：2，3）；……应在“因各关节之互补互助，结构紧凑”（弗：4，16）的同一身体内成长；在警告或谴责时，应伴以“柔和”（迦：6，1）；宣讲时该“坦诚无惧”（弗：6，20）。
如果我们细心观察上面以及其它相关沟通的修饰语时，就会意识到几个经常出现的词：秩序，柔和，勤勉，谨慎，关心，一定的组织能力以避免混乱和涣散；……所以在教会内提出建议时，当考虑到全局，应是为了建立秩序、合一、谦卑与温良；应有助于克服冲动、横加干涉、不合时宜、拒绝不同思想、欠缺整体考虑等弊病。
马尔蒂尼枢机（Card. Carlo Maria Martini）
在教会内提供建议
教区牧灵委员会，1989年4月15日
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