“Nor should we forget that anything wrought by the grace of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of our separated brethren can contribute to our own edification. It is always good in our relationships to be attentive. Sometimes a Christian family member or friend can be our best instructor. God, who can be a God of surprises, often reaches out to us in unexpected ways. We need to be humble enough to know we have some things to learn. God has given our fellow Christians and us many gifts. In opening ourselves to healing and reconciliation, we prepare to go deeper in relationships. At times we may need the counsel of a spiritual friend or the Sacrament of Reconciliation as we work our way through these inevitable problems connected with being human. These obstacles can be catalysts for spiritual growth rather than impediments to ecumenical conversations. We need humility to acknowledge them before God and be healed. We need to bring these obstacles to God in prayer. Our past hurts, some self-inflicted, that may be separating us from others. When we consider relationships, we also need a bit of humility. Patiently walking with one another and patiently sharing what we can is an important aspect of ecumenism. Sometimes taking a little risk brings us closer to one another and to God. Even interchurch couples report this difficulty. Sharing about our beliefs and our spiritual journey in life does not come easy for many of us. Most likely we have friends at school or at work who are Christians of various communities.Īs in all relationships, patience is needed to grow in relationship with one another. Often members of our extended families are active in other Christian churches. Many Catholics marry Christians of other traditions. Today, many Catholics do not have to go far to be in relationship with Protestants, Anglicans or Orthodox Christians. Some of these may be formal, but most are informal. In many ways, ecumenism is about building relationships with others. Certainly patience is a prime virtue for ecumenical conversations. This deeper love for one another is manifested in a variety of Christian virtues. Those involved in ecumenism like to say, “In coming closer to Christ we come closer to one another.” Following the Holy Spirit, opening ourselves to a deeper conversion to Christ, and thus to a deeper love for one another, is at the root of our ecumenical convergences. Spiritual growth and the movement toward Christian unity are, therefore, intimately connected. He points to the primacy of prayer as he quotes the council: “This change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and can rightly be called ‘spiritual ecumenism’” (No. John Paul II, in his striking encyclical Ut Unum Sint (“That They May Be One,” on commitment to ecumenism) stresses the unalterable commitment of the Catholic Church to the search for Christian unity. We believe our common desire for unity is because we have been open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Results of recent dialogues have brought Catholics closer to other churches and ecclesial communities than we have seen in centuries. Symbolic of this shift in focus, Pope Francis began this 500th year after the Reformation by praying with various Lutheran leaders on Oct. Together we seek the peace of Christ so we may bring peace to the world. But this anniversary also provides an opportunity to recall the unity that we have been seeking intently for the last 50 years. In the upcoming year we will mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, by which we are reminded of our divisions and brokenness even more. In the very first section of the decree, the bishops reflect on the tragedy of Christian division: “Such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages the most holy cause, the preaching of the Gospel to every creature” (No. The council’s decree on ecumenism, Unitatis Redintegratio, received overwhelming approval on Nov. Catholic bishops, gathered from all parts of the globe, gave expression to this concern about the separation among Christ’s followers and embraced the path forward known as ecumenism. John XXIII and the Second Vatican Council (1962-65). The search for unity among Christians was one of the central concerns of Pope St. People say something like, “How can so many Christian churches differing from one another, and sometimes even in opposition to one another, be from God?” Even today Catholic and Protestant missionaries attest that current Christian divisions impede people from hearing Jesus’ message. Here, the will of Jesus is clear, which makes it all the more regrettable to think of all the divisions that arose among Christians in the second millennium.
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