The Church is living the “Annual Week of Prayer for the Unity of Christians.” We ask: “What’s this have to do with me?” More than we might think.
First what it isn't:
1. NOT: religious leaders around a table hammering out differences. It would be naïve to think this could happen within a week, or a year, or even a century. It is not just among a few leaders, it’s an appeal to the entire Church, and that means you and me.
2. NOT: pretending briefly that everyone gets along great, and then life will continue normally. This week should help us see: others also have something to contribute, and together we can and must walk toward the fullness of truth in Christ.
3. NOT: irrelevant for the lives of Catholics. A few years ago I met a former Episcopalian priest who entered the Catholic priesthood in 1980; he praised the new translation of the Mass, which brings back some of the rich symbolism that he recognized in the Episcopalian liturgy, but that was absent from the previous Catholic translation. (As a convert from Episcopalianism myself, I was able to grasp the significance of the Catholic liturgy quickly because I experienced many of the same elements in the Episcopal Church.)
Secondly, what it is:
1. IS: a week of prayer for the unity of Christians. Few have the task of promoting ecumenical dialogue on a global scale, yet every Christian can and should pray for the answer to Christ’s petition: “May they be one, Father, as you and I are one.”
2. IS: a moment for the entire world to open the doors of communication. So many problems, whether it be about who saw that parking spot first or the reasons for declaring war, could be solved if we seek to understand the others’ point of view first. This week of prayer and the annual World Day for Peace focus much more on the similarities among religions and the common goal they have of making the world a better place, by working together to address the problems of morality, poverty, disease, war, the environment, etc.
3. IS: an occasion to realize that everyone has a role to promote unity, and not only among religions, but also in the family, at work or school, and in our dealings with those around us. Each person needs to unite his faith and his life: the way we live should be a perfect reflection of what we believe. Only then can we become the instrument of unity we are called to be.
By Colin Gore
No comments:
Post a Comment