Roots & Fruits Series
Talk #4: Practical Ecumenism - How do we make it work?
Over the course of the last two community gatherings Jack Flanagan introduced the topic of ecumenism. He shared with us a number of experiences which the Lord used to open his eyes to recognize Christians of other traditions as his brothers and sisters. He told us how he has come to apply John 14:1, "In my father’s house are many rooms…I go to prepare a place for you" as describing the situation of the body of Christ today. The Father’s house has many rooms, many churches and traditions, in which his children are assembled.
Jack reminded us of Jesus’ prayer for unity in John 17:21-23—"that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you have sent me…". He pointed out that the path to unity among Christians is their drawing closer to Jesus, and that in the meantime, our relationships with one another should be characterized by love and humility. These are the essential themes of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which Christians around the world are observing.
Building on what Jack has said and in keeping with the theme of this week, I’m going to talk about the PRACTICE of ecumenism in our life as a community. How do we go about it?
A demanding call
For us as an ecumenical community ecumenism demands a lot. Why is it worth the effort. How is ecumenical community life possible?
We belong to different Churches, we believe different things on some important matters. Let’s recall some of them. For instance,
Many Protestants believe it is sufficient if one is born again and follows what Bible and the Apostles’ Creed say, and that the church of Jesus Christ is invisible and exists wherever the gospel is preached and the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper are administered.
Catholics, however, believe that the Catholic Church is the one that Jesus started and the one to which all Christians should belong. They also believe and practice many things which Protestants consider to be unbiblical at best, and idolatrous at worst: prayers to Mary and the saints, worship of Christ in the Eucharist, prayers for the dead, various beliefs about the Pope and about Mary, and other things as well.
Yet we are called live closely with one another and to serve the Lord together as one community. In light of these stark differences and others like them, HOW IS IT POSSIBLE to practice ecumenism or to be united in one community?
The key: the things that unite us
The answer can be summed up in the words of a slogan of the ecumenical movement which recent popes have made their own: We come together as fellow Christians because "the things that unite us are greater than the things that divide us."
What are these "greater" things that unite us? Eph 4:4-6 sums it up:
Even in the church of the New Testament, God permitted important differences of opinion among believers. Paul talks about one such difference in Romans 14:2-6
…Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord. He also who eats, eats in honor of the Lord, since he gives thanks to God; while he who abstains, abstains in honor of the Lord and gives thanks to God.
If Christians act from a sincere faith and from their conscience, i.e., in accord with their deepest conviction about the truth, the Lord will uphold them.
So again, why doesn’t the Lord show all of us what the truth is?
Maybe because we need to be purified more from sin before the judgment of division can be lifted.
In the meantime, we’re called to love and care for one another as members of an ecumenical community.
Respecting our differences
How can we be united to one another and respect our differences at the same time?
Here are a few principles and practices that make ecumenical community work..
2) Respect one another’s consciences, i.e., one another’s convictions about what’s true or false, right or wrong, even when we disagree, as Paul taught in Romans 14.
The reason for this? Because this is how everyone of us obeys God—through the imperfect light of conscience. Whatever does not accord with conscience is sin for us.
Scripture teaches us to be zealous for the conscience of one another, not to tempt someone to act contrary to their best beliefs.
If I a Catholic should induce someone to pray to Mary when he or she believes this is wrong, I would be leading them to sin, even if prayers to Mary are not sinful (as Catholics believe they are not)!
If you a Protestant should lead me a Catholic to miss attending church on Sunday, which I believe I am obliged to attend, you would be leading me to sin, even if for you missing church on Sunday is not a sin.
3) Be careful how we share in order not to invite others to approve what is contrary to their beliefs.
When we share at a gathering, we do so on the assumption that we agree together that the thing we are telling about is a good thing.
For example, it would be inappropriate in a community setting for a Catholic to give a sharing about how Mary answered his prayers or told him this or that, as though everyone present would rejoice at what he had to say.
Likewise, it would be inappropriate if a Protestant were to share about visiting a Pentecostal church in Latin America where "a lot of Catholics are becoming Christians."
Does this mean we can never share in ecumenical settings about things that touch our differences? No, but we need to be careful, and we need to state clearly that we are sharing from our own tradition, and we realize that other Christians don’t see this the same way.
4) We must not, in our ecumenical community life, attempt to convert one another to our beliefs. Rather, we have agreed to accept one another as Christians who disagree, but who can serve the Lord together. If we have the secret agenda of converting the other, we violate the trust between us.
This is different than hoping or even praying that the Lord brings our brother or sister to the truth.
5) Rather, we exercise tact and voluntary restraint regarding matters of disagreement between us.
This means we wait to be asked our views as Catholics or Protestants, rather than volunteering them. Or, if we would like to share something from our tradition, we ask permission. "Would you mind if I share how I look at that as a Protestant?" "Would you be interested in hearing what the prophecies of Medugorge said about that?" IF WE DO THIS, we need to make it EASY for them to say "No".
Tact and voluntary restraint in what we talk about is common to every close relationship of love. Ask anyone who’s married!
Before the split in the community in 1990 every aspect of our lives was lived in the community. By focussing on the things we believed and did in common we ended up suppressing important aspects of our identity as Catholic or Lutheran or Presbyterian Christians, producing a kind of non-denominationalism. For a while this led some people to reject the tact and voluntary restraint that ecumenical cooperation requires. Now, however, balance has been restored and our churches provide a place where our identity as Catholics, Lutherans and Presbyterians can be freely and fully expressed.
In one way ecumenism in The Word of God requires a special sacrifice on the part of Catholics. Why? Because most of what Protestants believe and practice, Catholics also hold, and it forms a common ground that we focus on together. But there are a number of things Catholics believe that Protestants don’t accept. So Catholics have to exercise more voluntary restraint.
On the other hand, ecumenism in The Word of God also requires a special sacrifice on the part of Protestants. Why? Because Protestants are a minority among us. Not only that, but thanks to Credo, Catholic Radio, Ave Maria Law School, Ave Maria College, the Thomas More Center, and Renewal Ministries, Ann Arbor has become an international center of fervent Catholicism. It’s easy for Protestants among us to feel a bit overwhelmed.
What to do? The majority group, Catholics, need to be sensitive to the Protestants among us, and not let ourselves slip into speaking and acting if everyone present is Catholic.
The minority group, the Protestants among us, need to forgive us when we are insensitive, at the same time as they need to be assertive, letting us know when we tread, even unintentionally, on their beliefs.
Unity in the Spirit
In the final analysis, it is only LOVE and the GRACE of the Holy Spirit that can preserve our unity and enable us to continue as an ecumenical community. LORD, grant us your grace! Amen.
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