Mickey
This was an awesome article. It really describes what we see here on CAF all too often, a spirit of condemnation instead of a spirit of conversion.
Ecumenism is not about condemnation, it is about conversion. Conversions take time and grace. There is not such thing as conversion by the sword.
The most effective evangelists in the history of the Church have been the Jesuits, the Dominicans and the Franciscans. If you look at their history, those who brought in the converts were those who were most faithful to their own conversion, such as St. Francis Xavier, Bl. Mother Teresa, St. Catherine of Siena, St. Padre Pio and Blessed Junipero Serra.
Some people have had the audacity to refer to the Pope’s recent visit to a Jewish Synogogue in NYC as an abomination. That’s a pretty strong word to apply to a Pope, especially from those who do not have the authority or rank to do so.
Instead of defending the Church or protecting the dignity of Peter, they have joined the ranks of those outside the Church who look for every opportunity to condemn the Church. What Catholics should be doing is explaining why the Pope visited a Jewish synogogue.
They should have explained that Passover is has a special meaning to Catholics as well as Jews. That by visiting the synogogue the Pope was announcing to the Jews and the world, that Passover is a point where we are united in faith. We both believe in the mysteries that took place during the Passover. We both believe in the Ten Commandments that were revealed as a result of the Passover. We both believe in the God of Moses. Our Holy Father’s visit was not to a strange home or a den of iniquity, but to a sacred space where the Blessed Mother, Saint Jospeh and Jesus once prayed and worshipped God.
When the Pope prayed with non Catholic Christians he sent a message to all Catholics. He reminded us that our non Catholic brothers and sisters are children of the Church. Despite the mistakes of the past, they continue to be united to us in their Christology. They too recognize that Jesus is the Word of God made flesh. They recognize that Jesus died and rose for our salvation. They believe that the scriptures are the revealed truth of God.
As the Pope said, “the hermaneutics are what separates us.” It is not our faith in Christ that separates us, but our understanding of scripture. He pointed out something that most Catholics don’t know. The separation between Christians is due to mistakes in hermaneutics, not in a lack of faith in Jesus Christ. We all share the faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we are still united.
The Holy Father wanted Catholics and non Catholics to see that whether either side likes it or not, we still have the same Christian genes. Therefore, we are still connected to the Mystical Body and salvation is a possibility for all.
He found common grounds with all of these eccesial communities. Rather than taking the high road and threatening to send everyone to hell, he took the road of humility and showed Catholics and non Catholics, that we are all born from the same seed, Jesus Christ.
This allows for dialogue about differences, because people are not being antagonized, belittled, threatened, nor are their beliefs attacked.
The Church is simply saying “This is what all of us believe. Let’s talk about it.” Eventually, “Can we talk about somethings that are different among us and see where we can reach a consensus?”
Ecumenism is evangelization that begins by announcing Good News, “We are all part of one family, becasue we all share some spiritual genes.” Even though there is no salvation outside the Church, most of us are connected to the Church in some way or another. Thank God for that piece of Good News.
We had never though of it this way before.
This does not deny anything that the Church taught in the past. It simply says that we are growing in our understanding of what it means to be part of the Church and what it means to be outside the Church. Our understanding is clearer than it was in the past.
This is a sign of the Holy Spirit at work. He is shedding light on our understanding of the Church or what theologians call eccesiology.
There is nothing new in the doctrine, just in the understanding of the doctrine.
I like to use the analogy of medicine. The human body is the same today as it was in ancient Greece, but our understanding of how the body functions and responds to certain things is much more sophisticated. That being said, there is nothing new that has been added to what was already known about human anatomy.
There is nothing new in the anatomy of the Church. Only the understanding of the Church is more sophisticated. It takes from tradition and builds on it by adding some things that our anscestors had not seen.
That’s a beautiful thing. Because it shows that the Church is not stuck. The truth remains the same, but the understanding of the truth is deeper and deeper each day.
JR
