The community of the shaken : on the vocation of the Church

Abstract

Human experience is described in many ways. Yet there exists a common thread that weaves through the fabric of every individual’s journey – the experience of being shaken. This philosophical category reflects the very essence of our human condition: the constant grappling with our finitude, the perpetual quest for meaning, and the restless yearning for inner transformation. No human being escapes the condition of being shaken; rather we are thrown into this situation of being-in-the-world. This chapter will argue that among the vast array of human institutions, the Church is uniquely positioned to embrace, cultivate, and transform this universal pre-theological experience of “shakenness” shared by all life pilgrims. Even more radical, the care for being shaken is (and has even been) situated in the very heart of the Church’s mission and vocation. The Church’s commitment to the truth of the Incarnation paves the way to integrate this common individual experience and elevate it to the theological realm. If the Church is not only the product but also the truth of the Incarnation, it must form a community of the shaken. Especially now, in a context of advancing secularization in the west which could be translated as the post-Christendom age and the epoch of disintegrated Church, it seems necessary to re think the very nature of the vocation of the Church. [extract]