“so that they may all be one”
How is the Church working to bringing about reunification and ecumenism within the Church?The Church first looks to Herself. For how can we expect others to enter into the Catholic Church if we do not hold the truths of Jesus Christ? The Second Vatican Council acknowledges this, “For although the Catholic Church has been endowed with all divinely revealed truth and with all means of grace, yet its members fail to live by them with all the fervor that they should, so that the radiance of the Church's image is less clear in the eyes of our separated brethren and of the world at large, and the growth of God's kingdom is delayed. All Catholics must therefore aim at Christian perfection and, each according to his station, play his part that the Church may daily be more purified and renewed.”[i] This means every Catholic must strive for perfection when it comes to our faith so we can win souls. The first soul we must win is our own and then those specifically entrusted to our care.
Next, we must pray, and those who wish to have dialogue must have an open heart. “It is a recognized custom for Catholics to have frequent recourse to that prayer for the unity of the Church which the Saviour Himself on the eve of His death so fervently appealed to His Father: ‘That they may all be one’… There can be no ecumenism worthy of the name without a change of heart. For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds”[ii]
The Second Vatican Council also instructs the Church to learn and understand more of the separated brethren and their beliefs. “We must get to know the outlook of our separated brethren. To achieve this purpose, study is of necessity required, and this must be pursued with a sense of realism and good will. Catholics, who already have a proper grounding, need to acquire a more adequate understanding of the respective doctrines of our separated brethren, their history, their spiritual and liturgical life, their religious psychology and general background. Most valuable for this purpose are meetings of the two sides - especially for discussion of theological problems - where each can deal with the other on an equal footing - provided that those who take part in them are truly competent and have the approval of the bishops.”[iii] A quick note; The first thing is to know the Catholic Church FIRST, and then study others. We must realize that by trying to understand their doctrines, this does not mean they are true, and if we do not know our own doctrine how can we see the similarities and differences.
Lastly, we should strive to explain and transmit the faith in a way that all can understand. It must be clear and precise, but not lose any of the profoundness and fullness of truth.[iv] We should present it with charity, but never back down from pressure.
What steps is the Church taking for ecumenism? The Catechism teaches us how the Church is making ecumenism happen. As we see, many of things have already been discussed. “The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit. Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call:
a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation; such renewal is the driving force of the movement toward unity;
conversion of heart as the faithful ‘try to live holier lives according to the Godspel’; for it is the unfaithfulness of the members to Christ’s gift which causes divisions;
prayer in common, because ‘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 merits the name ‘spiritual ecumenism;’
fraternal knowledge of each other;
ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests;
dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities;
collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind. ‘Human service’ is the idiomatic phrase.[v]
“Concern for achieving unity ‘involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike.’ But we must realize ‘that this holy objective-the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ-transcends human powers and gifts.’ That is why we place all our hope ‘in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.’”[vi]
How does the Church begin dialogue with others? The Church first starts with prayer. Blessed Pope John Paul II said, “When Christians pray together, the goal of unity seems closer. The long history of Christians marked by many divisions seems to converge once more because it tends towards that Source of its unity which is Jesus Christ.”[vii]
We first start simply with those Christians who openly confess Jesus Christ as Lord and God. That Jesus is the sole Mediator between God and men, and the Holy Trinity. “We are aware indeed that there exist considerable divergences from the doctrine of the Catholic Church concerning Christ Himself, the Word of God made flesh, the work of redemption, and consequently, concerning the mystery and ministry of the Church, and the role of Mary in the plan of salvation. But we rejoice to see that our separated brethren look to Christ as the source and center of Church unity. Their longing for union with Christ inspires them to seek an ever closer unity, and also to bear witness to their faith among the peoples of the earth.”[viii]
The next step are those who have a love and reverence for Sacred Scripture. Yes, there can be great differences in the interpretation of Scripture, but it must rejoice in that we can share in dialogue using what we both recognize as God’s Word spoken to us.[ix]
Next is Baptism. “Baptism therefore establishes a sacramental bond of unity which links all who have been reborn by it. … Though the ecclesial Communities which are separated from us lack the fullness of unity with us flowing from Baptism, and though we believe they have not retained the proper reality of the Eucharistic mystery in its fullness, especially because of the absence of the sacrament of Orders, nevertheless when they commemorate His death and resurrection in the Lord's Supper, they profess that it signifies life in communion with Christ and look forward to His coming in glory. Therefore the teaching concerning the Lord's Supper, the other sacraments, worship, the ministry of the Church, must be the subject of the dialogue.”[x]
Finally, we must realize that we as mere people, cannot bring those back into the Catholic Church on our own abilities and strengths. It is only through God that brings back souls. The Church has always rested it’s hope and prayer on “Christ for the Church, on our Father’s love for us, and on the power of the Holy Spirit.”[xi]
“Their ecumenical action must be fully and sincerely Catholic, that is to say, faithful to the truth which we have received from the apostles and Fathers of the Church, in harmony with the faith which the Catholic Church has always professed, and at the same time directed toward that fullness to which Our Lord wills His Body to grow in the course of time.”[xii]
Is ecumenism working? Yes, very much so. Thousands of protestant churches are coming back into communion with the Catholic Church all over the world. The Eastern Churches and the Roman Catholic Church have been gaining ground every year. For the first time since the separation of the Eastern and Western Church back in 1054, the Eastern Patriarch came to the instillation Mass of Pope Francis in 2013.
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[i] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio
[ii] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 7-8
[iii] SECOND VATICAN ECUMENICAL COUNCIL, Decree on Ecumenism Unitatis Redintegratio, 9
[iv] cf. ibid. 11
[v] CCC 821
[vi] CCC 822
[vii] Ut unum sint 22, 25 May, 1995, John Paul II
[viii] Decree on Ecumenism, 20
[ix] cf. ibid. 21
[x] ibid. 22
[xi] ibid. 24
[xii] ibid. 24