THE TABLET JANUARY 14, 2006

Christian Unity Begins with Prayer

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Beginning on January 18 and ending on January 25, the Conversion of St. Paul, the Church celebrates the Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity. This annual event reminds us that if we seek unity, we must join in prayer asking the Lord that He grant that gift, which was His final wish for the Church and for those who had come to believe in Him. The Catholic Church, since the Second Vatican Council, has played an important part in the ecumenical movement. It is this concern that impels us to reach out to our fellow Christians in respect and attempt to remove every stumbling block that stands in the way of Christian unity.

First, we must give witness to Christ as Christians. The witness must be given in the world in which we live, before the unbeliever, the agnostic, the powerful and the weak. We must do so with a commitment to be firm in our faith in Jesus Christ and to live out the Gospel message. When Christians are separated from one another and behave in ways that demonize and demoralize each other, the Gospel is marred in the eyes of the nonbeliever. For the sake of the spread of the Gospel message, Christian unity is essential. A unified Christianity gives a strong Gospel witness to the world.

We cannot, however, witness if we are unrepentant. We need reconciliation among Christians. We need to seek forgiveness for the sins that caused the divisions of the past. The division of Christianity came about for many historical reasons, some of which were theological, others political, and even some economic in a world where nationalism took precedence over faith. There were also moral reasons for the division of Christianity, among them the misuse of power, theological pride, financial corruption and the ignorance of faith on behalf of people and clergy, which gave scandal to all. Ecumenical dialogue can bear fruit only by recognizing the faults of the past and seeking the work that focuses on the message of the Gospel, which draws us into unity and impels us to forgive one another.

Another element in ecumenical work is dialogue. Without dialogue we cannot come to understand or respect one another, cannot develop mutual trust. Dialogue leads to mutual forgiveness among Christians who seek the true path to a united faith. There are many ecumenical dialogues currently taking place at international and national levels. It is more important, however, that dialogue between believing Christians take place locally, sometimes in our own families where there are ecumenical marriages, and certainly in our local communities where people of good faith interact with one another. Only by speaking in faith with one another can we come to understand our differences, and someday, with the Lord's help, resolve them.

Ultimately, ecumenical relations must be rooted in prayer, focusing on Christ who is the center and reason of our faith. In response to this call to prayer, the Diocese of Brooklyn, in cooperation with the Brooklyn Federation of Churches and the Orthodox Churches, will host an ecumenical Vesper Prayer at The Virgin Mary Melkite Church located at the corner of Eighth Avenue and Third Street, on Wednesday, May 31, at 7:30 p.m. A reminder of this event will certainly be sent at the appropriate time.

Ecumenism is always an exercise of putting out into the deep into uncharted waters, yet we know the goal we seek, the unity that Christ prayed for at the Last Supper. We join in this Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity, asking that the Lord open our hearts and minds to greater ecumenical progress.