Ecumenical Info

That All May Be One

September 2005

By Rev. Michael Demkovich, O.P.

When Vatican II began to heal the long years of hostility brought on by the Reformation, a new chapter of history began. The initial fervor of those years opened doors among Christians as the ecumenical movement took shape. Educational endeavors brought together schools of divinity and seminaries of different denominations. Nationally ecumenical councils brought Christians together in prayer and discussions about Jesus Christ and the Gospel in our lives. These were exciting times.

In the last forty years a lot of that energy has subsided. Their has been an aging of the ecumenical movement. Many key figures have retired or died and a new generation is only beginning to surface. Unfortunately that vision which launched the ecumenical movement has been lost or diminished. For many people ecumenism has been reduced to shared political action without real engagement of the Gospel. In fact, for some the Gospel has been replaced by their political agenda. What was once an arena of ideas that brought about new opportunities for Gospel action is now in danger of being lost. People can become indifferent to a "spirituality of dialogue," lazy about learning and unwilling to invest themselves in the dialogue. They wrongly assume that it is unimportant.

So why is ecumenism important? One reason is that it is the expressed desire and prayer of Jesus for his disciples found in John's Gospel: That they may all be one (Jn 17.21). Another reason is the counter-cultural reality of the Gospel. By conforming ourselves to Christ we are better able to challenge what is false in culture and society. Lastly, today more than ever various denominations are in danger of drifting away from the Gospel. Jim Wallis, an evangelical Protestant challenged all Christians in his 2005 book God's Politics: Why the Right Gets It Wrong and the Left Doesn't Get It to help people understand the significant contribution religious values make in society. He laments our failure to share the vision of the Gospel. A growing number of Americans feel their religion has less and less to do with their lives. I hate to admit it but the culprit seems to be our failure as Christians to preach a compelling vision for today. Too often people hold back out of fear and fail to name the reality most in need of naming, God's salvific action in history. Whether its political correctness or ignorance we do not say what needs to be said.

In talking about our sharing the vision St. Paul has a wonderful line in the letter to the Ephesians. He says "Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up into Christ" (4.15). Similarly St. Thomas Aquinas understands truth to be an aspect of justice which is directly related to charity. Truth is always about love. But truth is too often used as a club meant to destroy anyone who disagrees with me. Truth is better understood as a bridge that helps us get closer t the reality of God. Some truths serve as a broadway across life's rivers. But, I find that it is more often a rickety footbridge across the treacherous ravines. I have said this before; one of the brilliant contributions of Catholic thought is the concept of the unity of truth. If something is truly true it won't oppose truth itself. Simply put, what is true is true. Dialogues, especially tough dialogues, are always about bridge building.

Cardinal Walter Kasper, the head of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity wrote a book well worth reading. It is That They May All Be One: The Call to Unity (New York: Burns & Oates, 2004). He writes, "The fact that ecumenism is facing a critical moment cannot be denied. There is widespread conviction that traditional differences are irrelevant for the majority of people today and could be simply overlooked." (p.1) It is a challenge that must now be placed before younger ecumenist just starting to realize the call to unity.

I wish to make a special appeal to the young to take seriously Jesus' prayer. I encourage you to study the truth of your Catholic faith and build the bridges that bring us together as the Body of Christ. If you are in you late teens or twenties, I invite you to call or email the ecumenical office to see about ways you can help make real Jesus' call to unity. The future is entrusted to you and with God's help the call started at Vatican II might one day become a reality.

For more information call the Ecumenical Office at: 505.831.8243, or Email, or go to http://www.archdiocesesantafe.org.