Reformation Sunday 2011: How Would Protestants Know When to Return?

Imagine that the Occupy Wall Street protest continued for years, during which time the community of protesters divided into different factions, each with different beliefs, different demands, and different leaders. But the protests continued for so long that the protesters eventually built makeshift shanties and lived in them, and had children. These children grew up in the protesting communities, and then they too had children, who also grew up in the same communities of protesters, still encamped in the Wall Street district. Over the course of these generations, however, these communities of protesters forgot what it was that they were protesting. They even forgot that they were protesting. Life in the shanties in Wall Street was what these subsequent generations had always known. They did not even know that they had inherited a protesting way of life, separated from the rest of society. When asked by a reporter what Wall Street would have to change in order to get them to return home, they looked at him confusedly, and responded, "We are home; this is home." They no longer had any intention to 'return to society' upon achieving some political or economic reform. For them, camping out on Wall Street was life as normal, and those with whom they had grown up camping simply were their society. Continue reading

Let's give Him the gift He most deeply desires

"To love God is to wish Him all honour and glory and every good, and to endeavour, as far as we can, to obtain it for Him." (source)

"May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me." (St. John 17:23)

Lord Jesus, may we by your grace, be granted to present to You this gift: the overcoming of our divisions. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Love and Unity: Part 1

Icon of the Trinity
Andrei Rublev (1410)

This is the first of a series of posts on the relation between love and unity, as I mentioned in early August that I intended to write. At a later time I hope to write about the relation between love and truth. But for now I want to focus on how and why love seeks unity with the beloved, and the way in which unity with the beloved constitutes love. I have written about this relation previously here and here. I was again prompted to write about this subject earlier this year, as I reflected on the nature of love, and also as I experienced the conjunctive dissonance of stated love and simultaneous contentment with disunity.

The experience was similar to the dissonance described in St. James 2:14-26 between the simultaneous presence of stated faith and the absence of charity. St. James calls such a faith "dead faith". Likewise, in reflecting on the nature of love I concluded that contentment with disunity, all other things being equal, is something like "dead love". True [living] love tirelessly seeks union with the beloved, and does not rest content with disunity. That pursuit of unity may take different forms, depending on various other factors. But if a man says that he has love for his brother, but is content with disunity, he is deceiving himself. If he says to his brother, "Go in peace, with all my love", but does not seek out reconciliation (St. Matthew 5:24) and resolution of the schism that divides him from his brother, he does not truly love. True love seeks both to reach over and break down the wall of separation, even if that activity involves immense sacrifice, suffering, rejection, and persecution -- even if it involves the cross.

If love by its very nature seeks unity with the beloved, what then is the cause of the widespread acceptance and seeming contentment among Christians with our present disunity? Have we become cold-hearted persons so gravely deficient in love that we can walk nonchalantly right by our present divisions the way the priest and Levite walked by the injured traveler on the road to Jericho? Over fifty years ago, J.B. Phillips wrote a book titled Your God is Too Small. The thesis of the book is that our conception of God is too small. Similarly, it seems to me that often what makes Christians content with disunity is an unawareness of the full nature of unity, and thus a blindness to our present disunity, its magnitude, and its evil. Having reduced our concept of unity to something quite entirely spiritual and invisible, we now tend not to see our disagreements about doctrine, sacraments and church government as divisions -- that was the point of my post titled "Dodos, Passenger Pigeons, and Schisms". They're just variations, or differences, all legitimate options within the big tent of mere Christianity.

This reductive reconception of unity as merely invisible or spiritual has as an effect the diminution of our capacity to love. We cannot love a good that we do not in some sense apprehend as good, and that is no less true of our apprehension of our union with the beloved. Aquinas writes that love "arises from a kind of apprehension of the oneness of the thing loved with the lover." (ST I-II Q.28 a.1) Hence if our conception of oneness is atrophied, and we apprehend (as a goal) only a weak or minimal unity with that which is loved, our capacity to love will be diminished. The more we perceive the fullness of the unity that is not only possible but desired by Christ for His people, the more we will love each other and thereby seek to bring about that full unity.

As an example, consider the scene in the movie WALL-E where humans accidentally rediscover the experience of touching each other. The conception of that type of unity (physical touch) had been lost, replaced by a mere virtual [de-materialized] unity through a technological medium. Rediscovering actual touch allowed a new and deeper dimension in which love could be actualized. Similarly, when we rediscover the three dimensions of unity, we begin to see how much deeper and richer is the unity that true love pursues. So one way of responding to the present contentment with disunity among Christians is to expand and deepen our understanding of unity in all its fullness so that we can see the present disunity for what it is, and thus see how to love, that is, see where true love takes us.

Another way to respond to the present contentment with disunity is to meditate together on the nature of love, and show how true love cannot possibly rest content with the present state of disunity. And that is what I wish to do in this series, drawing largely from St. Thomas Aquinas. I want to examine why love seeks unity with the beloved, and how love effects unity, and what sort of unity love produces.

Trivial Pursuit

Nescire quaedam magna pars sapientiae est. [Ignorance of some things is a large part of wisdom.] -Hugo de Groot

"We should give no more than a side glance at all that happens in the world, but the eyes of our soul are to be focused right ahead; for our whole attention must be fixed on those realities which constitute our goal." -St. Gregory the Great

While growing up I attended church weekly with my family and often Sunday evenings as well. And yet, out of all the sermons I heard from infancy to the time I went away to college, I can remember only one sermon distinctly. The others, no doubt, remain unconsciously in my patterns of understanding Scripture and life. But only one sermon remains in my conscious memory. It was preached by a visiting missionary on furlough. Coming back to the US after a number of years away, he noticed the popularity of a new board game: Trivial Pursuit. This was somewhere around 1984 or 1985. The board game 'Trivial Pursuit' had been introduced in late 1981 or early 1982, and by the mid-80s, it was the rage. In his sermon the missionary said that this game seemed to capture quite well the state of our culture. We pursued trivia, and neglected or ignored the important things. The popularity of the game, he pointed out, was a self-indictment. We were revealing ourselves to be the-people-who-pursue-trivial-things.

The sermon was a like a seed that gradually grew in my way of seeing the world and evaluating our cultural practices. I started to notice that he was right. We focus a great deal of attention on actors and actresses, Hollywood gossip, television shows, sports figures, pop artists, and all sorts of trivial information. This trivia we attend to is generally not in itself harmful or evil. So what was the missionary's objection? It was that the pursuit of trivia tends to displace and distract us from the awareness and pursuit of that which is meaningful, weighty, worthwhile, and eternal. Like the prisoners in Plato's Allegory of the Cave, we come to think and live as though the trivia about which we quiz each other is the fundamental substance and activity of the real world. In an era of social media even more so, attention to every tweet, post, comment, 'news story,' etc., results in nothing less than a life of dissipation. The wise man says no to the stream of trivial information flowing toward him, nor does he contribute to that stream as it flows to others.

So far as I can tell, there are two reasons why people pursue trivia: either they are trying to avoid facing the important truths, and/or they are simply unaware of anything more important than the trivia they pursue. But the two reasons are not so entirely distinct. Recently I spoke with my ethics students about the traditional virtue of silence, and being present to oneself, knowing oneself. I had one student respond by telling me that he must constantly fill up the silence, because he can't bear to be alone with his thoughts. Another student told me that to allow oneself to think about the big questions in life (e.g. the afterlife, God, etc.) is to lose sight of what we are here for, which in his opinion is to focus on the present moment. For such persons every waking moment (and even during sleep) is often intentionally filled with noise from a radio, or an mp3 player, television, etc. David Hume did this as well, in a way. To cure himself of "this philosophical melancholy or delirium" brought about by deep meaningful questions, he resorted to diversions: "I dine, I play a game of backgammon, I converse, and I am merry with my friends, " so that his speculations then appeared to him as "cold, and strain'd, and ridiculous". (Treatise I, iv, 7) The habit of filling up our lives with the pursuit of trivia is not only a way of avoiding the more important matters, it can even keep us from realizing that there are more important matters.

Of course none of what I am saying should be taken to imply that entertainment and fine art are intrinsic evils or intrinsic distractions. Not in the least. The danger is in ourselves, in our tendency to let trivia become our primary pursuit, to let the values and priorities of our popular culture's pursuit of trivia become our values and priorities, in short, to let ourselves succumb to the delusion that life is as the pursuit of trivia depicts it to be. We become what Plato referred to as the "lovers of sights and sounds". To succumb to that delusion is to become a prisoner in Plato's Cave, lulled into a delusion that sweeps the truly important questions of life into some secluded recess of our minds.

What does this have to do with the pursuit of unity among Christians? We can very easily allow the pursuit of trivia to become more important to us than the pursuit of unity among Christians. That is obvious when the trivia is something to do with Hollywood or professional sports. But it is less obvious, yet no less true, when the discussion is a theological dispute about minutiae unrelated to (either intrinsically or instrumentally) the goal of unity among Christians. Of course there is a place for disputing theological minutiae. The relevant question, however, is where the importance of pursuing unity ranks in relation to such disputes. It seems to me that the goal of Christian unity is so important, that a good deal of our theological energy should be devoted to and focused on precisely those meta-level points of difference that underlie the other differences presently dividing Christians from one another.

Today is the 100th birthday of Oskar Schindler, who came to see the incommensurable value of persons in relation to cars and rings and other such material goods. For me this scene from the film symbolizes the essence of philosophy as the pursuit of wisdom, for it shows a man coming to see things for what they really are, how what he had thought was valuable was in actuality of so little value in relation to that which is truly valuable.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it. (Matthew 13:45-46)

My brothers and sisters in Christ, may our Lord Jesus help us all come to see the true value of the pursuit of unity among Christians, in relation to the trivia which we otherwise pursue.

Day 5 of the Church Unity Octave

"Love unites us to God. Love covers a multitude of sins. Love bears all things, is long-suffering in all things. There is nothing base, nothing arrogant in love. Love admits of no schisms: love gives rise to no seditions: love does all things in harmony." - St. Clement (96 AD), bishop of Rome.

That quotation is from St. Clement's letter to the Corinthians, which was in today's reading in the Liturgy of the Hours. I think it is worth reflecting on the relationship between love and unity, particularly in light of St. Clement's teaching that "love admits of no schisms" (i.e. does not cause or provoke divisions), and that "love gives rise to no seditions", and "love does all things in harmony" (i.e. unity). St. Clement was the third successor of St. Peter in Rome, and according to St. Irenaeus, St. Clement had discoursed with the Apostles. (To read Pope Benedict's address on St. Clement, see here.) St. Clement was writing to the church at Corinth because of seditions which had arisen there. His letter is therefore important for those of us seeking how we might help heal the schisms among Christians today.

When we talk about unity with respect to persons, we cannot fail to talk about love. And when we talk about love with respect to persons, we cannot fail to talk about unity. That is because love in its highest form is the highest possible union of persons, as is evident in the Trinity. Love seeks out and delights in union with the beloved. For that reason, where unity is lacking, love is lacking. Where there is apathy about our divisions, love is lacking. Love seeks to heal divisions and reconcile us to one another in truth.

This is why our unity shows the world that the Father sent Christ and loves those in Christ just as He loves Christ. (St. John 17:23) Our unity shows our love. Our lack of unity, however, detracts from that witness, and hides from the world who Christ is, and therefore who God is. The world does not know the kind of unity (and thus peace) Christ offers, because it does not know this divine Love. This Love is the self-revelation (through the incarnate Christ) of the inner Life of the Trinity, as I recently discussed here. If therefore we wish to show to the world the Love of Christ (which is the inner Life of the Trinity), we must zealously pursue unity with one another, tearing down those walls that presently separate us, finding out their foundation stones and shining upon them the light of truth. We are the salt of the earth, the peacemakers for the world (St. Matthew 5:9), for the peace of Christ is true peace and transcends the world's illusory peace. (St. John 14:27) But how can we bring peace to the world if we ourselves are divided against each other? Must we not get the log out of our own eye? (Matthew 7:3) Should not judgment and cleansing and reconciliation begin with the family of God? (1 Peter 4:17)

Our love for each other is directly related to our love for God; our love for God is, in a way revealed and measured by our love for one another.

"By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother." (1 John 3:10)

"He who does not love abides in death." (1 John 3:14)

"The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8)

"If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen." (1 John 4:20)

If we love Christ, then we will love His Mystical Body, the Church. And if we love His Mystical Body, we will seek to bring all Christians into full communion in His Mystical Body. Christ teaches us that reconciliation with each other is an important prerequisite for acceptable worship:

"If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. (Matthew 5:24)

In sum, if we love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will be seeking union with them, for that is the very nature of love. And if wish to show to the world Christ's love (which is the inner Life of the Trinity), we will be seeking union with our brothers and sisters from whom we are presently separated by schism. And since our love for Christ is measured by our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ, therefore if we wish to love Christ, we will for His sake be seeking union with our brothers and sisters from whom we are separated. And if we wish to worship Christ, we will be seeking union with our brothers and sisters presently separated from us in doctrine, worship, and government.

Lord Jesus, thank you for giving Yourself to us completely in Love. Help us to so love You that our hearts yearn for You to be made visible to the world through the unity and peace of Your people. Help us Lord Jesus not to rest until we have with Your aid rooted out those things that divide us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Day 4 of the Church Unity Octave

In his address yesterday, Pope Benedict said the following:

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

Two days ago began the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity during which Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans and Protestants, knowing that their divisions constitute an obstacle to the reception of the Gospel, together implore the Lord, in a yet more intense way, for the gift of full communion. This providential initiative was born 100 years ago, when Father Paul Wattson started the "Octave" of prayer for the unity of all the disciples of Christ. Today for this occasion the spiritual sons and daughters of Father Wattson, the friars and sisters of the Atonement, are present in St. Peter's Square and I greet them cordially and encourage them to pursue the cause of unity with their special dedication.

We all have the duty to pray and work for the overcoming of every division between Christians, responding to Christ's desire "ut unum sint." Prayer, conversion of heart, the reinforcement of the bonds of communion, form the essence of this spiritual movement that we hope will soon lead the disciples of Christ to celebrate the Eucharist together, the manifestation of their full unity.

This year's biblical theme is dense with meaning: "Pray without ceasing" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). St. Paul addresses himself to the community of Thessalonica, which was experiencing internal clashes and conflicts, to remind them with insistence about certain fundamental attitudes, among which there stands out, indeed, incessant prayer. With this invitation of his, he wants it to be understood that from the new life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit there flows forth the capacity to overcome all egoism, to live together in peace and fraternal union, to bear in large measure the burdens and sufferings of others. We must never tire of praying for the unity of Christians! When Jesus, during the Last Supper, prayed that his disciples "be one," he had a precise goal in mind: "That the world believe" (John 17:21).

The Church's evangelizing mission, therefore, moves along the path of ecumenism, the path of unity of faith, of evangelical witness and authentic fraternity. As is done every year, on Thursday, Jan. 25, I will go to the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls to conclude the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity with solemn vespers. I invite Romans and pilgrims to join with me and with Christians of all the churches and ecclesial communities who will take part in the celebration, to ask of God the precious gift of reconciliation among all the baptized.

May the Mother of God, whose appearance to Alphonse Ratisbonne in the Church of Sant'Andrea delle Frate in Rome we remember today, obtain from the Lord the abundance of the Holy Spirit for all disciples in such a way that we can arrive at perfect unity and in this way offer the witness of faith and life that the world urgently needs.

Lord Jesus, please give us a change of heart regarding our divisions. Remove our sinful pride, and help us to desire your glory and honor above all else. May we no longer be content to remain divided from each other. Tear down these walls of blindness and pride that separate us, and grant us the peace and unity of your kingdom. May we be given the gift of reconciliation among all the baptized. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Looking Back in Preparation

Continuing our preparation for the one hundredth Octave of Church Unity, I thought it might be helpful to reflect on what Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI have said during the Octave of Church Unity in recent years.


(This photo was taken on January 27, 1999, at the TWA Dome in St. Louis. I was there at that mass. It was the only time I saw Pope John Paul II in person. But there is virtue even in his shadow -- Acts 5:15. And I may very well have been in the presence of a saint.)


In 2001, John Paul II said,

"the quest for unity, to which Christ´s disciples are called, is one of the tasks exacting the greatest commitment."

In 2002, John Paul II said,

"It is vital that Christians should pray incessantly for unity, which will come not as the fruit of human effort, but as a grace given at a time and in a way that we do not know," the Pope said. "Our prayer, however, must be joined by a determination to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ with one heart and voice, so that the world may believe."

This commitment calls for sacrifices, but it is based on faith in the power of the cross, he said. "From the side of the crucified Lord there flows the life-giving stream that will heal the wounds of division," John Paul II said.

He continued: "We have already traveled far on the ecumenical journey, and there can be no turning back. Certainly the Catholic Church remains committed irrevocably to following the path of the ecumenical venture."

"The Spirit must lead us, step by step, to discover the things that we can do together to hasten the full and visible communion of all Christians. May he who can ´do infinitely more than we can ask or imagine´ help us in this task," the Pope continued.

In 2003, John Paul II said,

The reconstruction of the unity of all the baptized is, in effect, a gift from God, and our effort alone is not sufficient to bring it about, but when Christians come together, see themselves as brothers, collaborate to alleviate sufferings, and pray for unity, they contribute to make the face of Christ and his glory shine.

On this second day of the "Week of Prayer," the verse proposed for meditation is taken from the same text of the Apostle and says: "We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained" (2 Corinthians 4:8). Yes, we are afflicted by the divisions, and many are the barriers that still separate us! But we are not crushed, because the glory of the Lord, which shines in us, continues to guide us toward purification and reciprocal forgiveness, and infuses light and strength to the prayer that we raise together to God, so that he will heal the wound of our division.

Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us ask the Lord to make the communion among Christians grow to fullness, in truth and charity. May this be our joint invocation.

In 2004, John Paul II gave an address on Christ's peace. (The news story about this address is here.) In his address he said the following:

The gift given to the apostles, therefore, is not just any kind of "peace," but Christ's very own peace: "my peace," as he said. And, to make himself understood more plainly: I give you my peace, "not as the world gives" (John 14:27).

The world longs for peace, has need of peace -- today as yesterday -- but it often seeks it with improper means, at times even with recourse to force or with the balance of opposing powers. In such situations, man lives with a heart troubled by fear and uncertainty. The peace of Christ, instead, reconciles spirits, purifies hearts, converts minds.

The theme of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was proposed this year by an ecumenical group of the city of Aleppo in Syria. This leads me to recall the pilgrimage that I had the joy of making to Damascus. In particular, I recall with gratitude the warm welcome I received from the two Orthodox patriarchs and the Greek-Catholic. That meeting still represents a sign of hope for the ecumenical path. Ecumenism, however, as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, is not genuine if there is no "change of heart. For it is from renewal of the inner life of our minds, from self-denial and an unstinted love that desires of unity take their rise and develop" (decree on ecumenism "Unitatis Redintegratio," 7).

There is growing awareness of the need for a profound spirituality of peace and peacemaking, not only among those who are directly involved in ecumenical work, but among all Christians. In fact, the cause of unity concerns every believer, called to form part of the one people redeemed by the blood of Christ on the cross.

It is encouraging to see how the quest for unity among Christians is spreading increasingly thanks to opportune initiatives, which touch different realms of the ecumenical commitment. Among these signs of hope I am pleased to count the increase of fraternal charity and the progress noted in theological dialogues with several Churches and ecclesial communities. In the latter it has been possible to come to, in varying degrees and characteristics, important convergences on topics, which in the past, were intensely controversial.

Taking into account these positive signs, one must not be discouraged in the face of the old and new difficulties one meets, but address them with patience and understanding, always counting on divine help.

"Where there is charity and love, God is there": so the liturgy prays and sings this week, reliving the atmosphere of the Last Supper. From mutual charity and love spring the peace and unity of all Christians, who can make a decisive contribution so that humanity will overcome the reasons for divisions and conflicts.

Together with prayer, dear brothers and sisters, let us also feel strongly stimulated to make our own the effort to be genuine "peacemakers" (see Matthew 5:9), in the environments in which we live.

At the end of the Octave he said:

Jesus' wish that all Christians be united is "a binding imperative, the strength that sustains us, and a salutary rebuke for our slowness and closed-heartedness," the Holy Father said.

"The unity of Christians has been a constant desire of my pontificate and it continues to be a demanding priority of my ministry," the Pope said. "Let us never lessen our commitment to pray for unity and to seek it incessantly."

"Obstacles, difficulties, and even misunderstandings and failures, cannot and must not discourage us," he said. "Confidence in reaching, also in history, the full and visible communion of Christians rests not on our human capacities, but on the prayer of our common Lord."

In June of 2004 Pope John Paul II appealed to all Christians to intensify their efforts for unity.


In 2005 during the Octave of Church Unity, just over two months before he died, Pope John Paul II reminded us that ecumenical success requires an inner conversion. He also pointed out that this unity is a gift of God, and so we must pray for it. Here is selection from the news story of his address:

"They are extremely opportune days of reflection and prayer," the Holy Father said, "to remind Christians that the restoration of full unity among them, according to the will of Jesus, involves every baptized person, both pastors as well as the faithful."

Addressing several thousand people gathered in Paul VI Hall, the Pope noted that this Week of Prayer takes place months after the 40th anniversary of the Second Vatican Council's decree "Unitatis Redintegratio," a "key text which has placed the Catholic Church firmly and irrevocably in the line of the ecumenical movement."

The theme presented for meditation this year by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity is "Christ, the Only Foundation of the Church."

The Holy Father called the theme "a fundamental truth for all ecumenical commitment."

Quoting Vatican II, he explained: "Given that the reconciliation of Christians surpasses human powers and capacities, prayer gives expression to hope that does not disappoint, to trust in the Lord who makes all things new.

"But prayer must be accompanied by purification of the mind, the feelings and the memory. Thus it becomes an expression of that 'inner conversion,' without which there is no true ecumenism."

"In a word," John Paul II said, "unity is a gift of God, a gift to be tirelessly implored with humility and truth."

The Holy Father sounded optimistic, saying that the "desire for unity is spreading and deepening, touching new environments and contexts, arousing fervor for works, initiatives and reflections."

"Recently the Lord has also enabled his disciples to engage in important contacts of dialogue and collaboration. The pain of separation is felt with ever greater intensity, given the challenges of a world that awaits a clear and unanimous evangelical testimony on the part of all believers in Christ," he said. [...]

The Pope added: "I also ask you to pray so that the whole family of believers may attain as soon as possible the full communion desired by Christ."

At the end of the week he said:

I invite the Christian communities to live intensely this annual spiritual event, in which we have a foretaste, in a certain sense, of the joy of full communion, at least in desire, and unanimous invocation. In fact, one is ever more clearly aware that unity is, in the first place, a gift of God to be implored tirelessly in humility and truth.

On April 20, 2005, in the first message of his pontificate, Pope Benedict XVI stated that his primary commitment would be the work of promoting full visible unity among Christians separated in various churches and confessions.




In September of 2005, Pope Benedict said the following: "To achieve the full communion of Christians must be an objective for all those who profess faith in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, "faithful and shepherds alike."

In 2006, at the beginning of the Octave of Church Unity, Pope Benedict gave the following address. (This news article is here.)

"Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven" (Matthew 18:19). This solemn assurance of Jesus to his disciples sustains our prayer. Today begins the by-now traditional Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an important appointment to reflect on the tragedy of the division of the Christian community and to pray with Jesus himself "that they may all be one so that the world may believe" (John 17:21). We also do so here, in harmony with a great multitude in the world. The prayer "for the unity of all" involves, in different ways and times, Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants, united by faith in Jesus Christ, only Lord and Savior.

The prayer for unity forms part of that central nucleus that the Second Vatican Council calls "the soul of the whole ecumenical movement" ("Unitatis Redintegratio," No. 8), a nucleus that includes precisely public and private prayers, conversion of heart, and holiness of life. This view presents us the core of the ecumenical problem, which is obedience to the Gospel to do the will of God with his necessary and effective help. The Council explained it explicitly to the faithful declaring: "For the closer their union with the Father, the Word, and the Spirit, the more deeply and easily will they be able to grow in mutual brotherly love" (ibid., No. 7).

The elements that, despite the lasting division, continue to unite Christians sustain the possibility to raise a common prayer to God. This communion in Christ sustains the whole ecumenical movement and indicates the objective of the search for the unity of all Christians in the Church of God. This distinguishes the ecumenical movement from any other initiative of dialogue or of relations with other religions and ideologies.

On this, the teaching of the Second Vatican Council's decree on ecumenism was also precise: "This movement toward unity is called 'ecumenical.' Those belong to it who invoke the Triune God and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior" (ibid., No. 1). The common prayers that take place throughout the world particularly in this period, or around Pentecost, express moreover the will of a common effort for the re-establishment of the full communion of all Christians. "Such prayers in common are certainly an effective means of obtaining the grace of unity" (ibid., No. 8).

With this affirmation, the Second Vatican Council interprets definitively what Jesus says to his disciples, whom he assures that if two gather on earth to ask anything of the Father who is in heaven, he will grant it "because" where two or three gather in his name, he is in their midst. After the resurrection, he assures them he will be with them "always, until the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20). The presence of Jesus in the community of disciples and in our prayer guarantees efficacy. To the point that he promises that "whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 18:18).

But we do not limit ourselves to implore. We can also give thanks to the Lord for the new situation that, with effort, has been created in the ecumenical relations among Christians with the fraternity that has been found again through the strong bonds of solidarity established, of the growth of communion and of the convergences carried out -- surely in an unequal manner -- between the different dialogues. There are many reasons to thank God. And if there is still much to be done and to hope for, let us not forget that God has given us much on the path to unity. For this reason, we are grateful to him for these gifts. The future is before us.

The Holy Father John Paul II, of happy memory, who did so much and suffered for the ecumenical question, taught us opportunely that "An appreciation of how much God has already given is the condition which disposes us to receive those gifts still indispensable for bringing to completion the ecumenical work of unity" ("Ut Unum Sint," No. 41). Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us continue to pray so as to be aware that the holy cause of the re-establishment of Christian unity exceeds our poor human efforts and that unity, finally, is a gift of God.

On the Sunday in the middle of the Octave, he gave this homily in which he said, "We must not doubt that one day we will be one."

Dear Brothers and Sisters!

This Sunday is celebrated in the midst of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which takes place every year from Jan. 18-25. It is an initiative, born at the beginning of the past century, which has undergone a positive development, increasingly becoming an ecumenical point of reference, in which Christians of the various confessions worldwide pray and reflect on the same biblical text.

The passage chosen this year is taken from chapter 18 of Matthew's Gospel, which refers to some of the teachings of Jesus that affect the community of disciples. Among other things, it affirms: "If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:19-20).

These words of the Lord Jesus infuse much confidence and hope! In particular, they invite Christians to ask God together for that full unity among them, for which Christ himself, with heartfelt insistence, prayed to the Father during the Last Supper (cf. John 17:11,21,23). We understand, therefore, the reason why it is so important that we, Christians, invoke the gift of unity with persevering constancy. If we do so with faith, we can be sure that our request will be heard. We do not know when or how, as it is not for us to know, but we must not doubt that one day we will be "one," as Jesus and the Father are united in the Holy Spirit.

The prayer for unity is the soul of the ecumenical movement, which, thanks be to God, advances throughout the world. Of course difficulties and trials are not lacking, but these also have their spiritual usefulness, as they drive us to have patience and perseverance and to grow in fraternal charity. God is love and only if we are converted to him and accept his Word will we all be united in the one Mystical Body of Christ.

The expression, "God is love," in Latin "Deus Caritas Est," is the title of my first encyclical, which will be published next Wednesday, Jan. 25, feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. I am happy it coincides with the conclusion of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. On that day, I will go to St. Paul's Basilica to preside at Vespers, in which representatives of other churches and ecclesial communities will take part. May the Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, intercede for us.

At the end of the Octave, hours after his first encyclical (Deus Caritas Est) had been published, he spoke about how our assurance that God is love gives us hope for full communion among all Christ's disciples.

"God is love. On this solid rock is founded the whole of the Church's faith. In particular, on it is based the patient search for full communion among all of Christ's disciples," the Holy Father affirmed Wednesday in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls. He was addressing representatives of various Christian confessions gathered for solemn vespers.

"Fixing one's gaze on this truth, summit of divine revelation, despite the fact that divisions maintain their painful gravity, they seem surmountable and do not discourage us," the Pope noted.

Among the participants on hand were 150 delegates of various churches, bishops' conferences, communities and ecumenical bodies taking part in a meeting of the Preparatory Commission of the 3rd European Ecumenical Assembly.

Hours earlier, "Deus Caritas Est," Benedict XVI's first encyclical, was published. The Holy Father took advantage of the homily at the solemn vespers to offer the ecumenical vision implicit in that encyclical.

Light of love

The Pope invited his listeners to conceive "the whole ecumenical path in the light of the love of God, of the Love that is God."

"If even from the human point of view love is manifested as an invincible force, what do we have to say, who 'know and believe the love God has for us'?" he asked, quoting a line from 1 John 4:16.

"Authentic love does not cancel the legitimate differences, but harmonizes them in a higher unity, which is imposed on us from outside, but, to say it another way, gives shape from the interior to the whole," the Holy Father said.

"It is the mystery of communion that, as it unites man and woman in that community of love and life which is marriage, so it conforms the Church as community of love, giving unity to a multiform richness of gifts, of traditions," Benedict XVI continued.

"At the service of that unity of love is found the Church of Rome that, according to the expression of St. Ignatius of Antioch, 'presides in charity,'" he said.

Addressing the ecumenical representatives, the Bishop of Rome again placed in God's hands "my particular Petrine ministry, invoking on it the light and strength of the Holy Spirit so that he will always foster fraternal communion among all Christians."

With this spirit, the Pontiff invited all those present to pray together for unity, as "to implore together is already a step toward unity among those praying for it."

God's generosity

"This does not mean of course that God's answer will come, in a certain sense, determined by our request," he explained. "We know it well: The desired fulfillment of unity depends in the first place on the will of God, whose plan and generosity surpasses man's comprehension and his very requests and expectations."

In 2007, at the opening of the Octave of Church Unity, Pope Benedict said in his homily, "We must not be discouraged".

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins tomorrow. I myself will conclude it in the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls this 25 January with the celebration of Vespers, to which representatives of the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities of Rome are also invited.

The days from 18 to 25 January, and in other parts of the world the week around Pentecost, are a strong time of commitment and prayer on the part of all Christians, who can avail themselves of the booklets produced jointly by the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the Faith and Order Commission of the World Council of Churches.

I have been able to sense how sincere the desire for unity is at the meetings I have had with various representatives of Churches and Ecclesial Communities in these years, and in a most moving way, during my recent Visit to the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I in Istanbul, Turkey.

On these and on other experiences that opened my heart to hope, I will reflect at greater length next Wednesday. The way to unity remains long and laborious; yet, it is necessary not to be discouraged and to journey on, in the first place relying on the unfailing support of the One who, before ascending into Heaven, promised his followers: "I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20).

Unity is a gift of God and the fruit of his Spirit's action. Consequently, it is important to pray. The closer we draw to Christ, converting to his love, the closer we also draw to one another.

In some countries, including Italy, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is preceded by the Day of Christian-Jewish reflection, which is celebrated precisely today, 17 January.

For almost 20 years now the Italian Bishops' Conference has dedicated this Judaism Day to furthering knowledge and esteem for it and for developing the relationship of reciprocal friendship between the Christian and Jewish communities, a relationship that has developed positively since the Second Vatican Council and the historic visit of the Servant of God John Paul II to the Major Synagogue of Rome.

To grow and be fruitful, the Jewish-Christian friendship must also be based on prayer. Therefore, today I invite you all to address an ardent prayer to the Lord that Jews and Christians may respect and esteem one another and collaborate for justice and peace in the world.

This year the biblical theme proposed for common reflection and prayer during this "Week" is: "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak" (Mk 7:31-37). These words are taken from Mark's Gospel and refer to the healing of a deaf-mute by Jesus. In this short passage, the Evangelist recounts that the Lord, after putting his fingers into his ears and touching his tongue with saliva, worked the miracle by saying: "Ephphatha", which means "be opened". Having regained his hearing and the gift of speech, the man roused the admiration of others by telling what had happened to him.

Every Christian, spiritually deaf and mute because of original sin, receives with Baptism the gift of the Lord who places his fingers on his face and thus, through the grace of Baptism, becomes able to hear the Word of God and to proclaim it to his brethren. Indeed, from that very moment it is his task to mature in knowledge and love for Christ so as to be able to proclaim and witness effectively to the Gospel.

This topic, shedding light on two aspects of the mission of every Christian community -- the proclamation of the Gospel and the witness of charity --, also underlines how important it is to translate Christ's message into concrete initiatives of solidarity. This encourages the journey to unity because it can be said that any relief to the suffering of their neighbour which Christians offer together, however little, also helps to make more visible their communion and fidelity to the Lord's command.

Prayer for Christian unity cannot, however, be limited to one week a year. The unanimous plea to the Lord that in times and ways known only to him he may bring about the full unity of all his disciples must extend to every day of the year.

Furthermore, the harmony of intentions in the service to alleviate human suffering, the search for the truth of Christ's message, conversion and penance are obligatory steps through which every Christian worthy of the name must join his brother or sister to implore the gift of unity and communion.

I exhort you, therefore, to spend these days in an atmosphere of prayerful listening to the Spirit of God, so that important steps may be made on the path to full and perfect communion among all Christ's disciples. May the Virgin Mary obtain this for us; may she, whom we invoke as Mother of the Church and help of all Christians, sustain our way towards Christ.

In the middle of the Octave he spoke about the importance of prayer for achieving unity. (The news story is here.)

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This Sunday occurs during the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity", which, as is well known, is celebrated each year in our hemisphere between 18 and 25 January. The theme for 2007 is a citation from Mark's Gospel and refers to people's amazement at the healing of the deaf-mute accomplished by Jesus: "He makes the deaf hear and the mute speak" (Mk 7:37).

I intend to comment more broadly on this biblical theme this 25 January, the liturgical Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, when at 5: 30 p.m. I will preside at the celebration of Vespers for the conclusion of the "Week of Prayer" in the Basilica of St Paul Outside-the-Walls. I expect many of you to come to that liturgical encounter because unity is achieved above all by praying, and the more unanimous the prayer, the more pleasing it is to the Lord.

This year the initial project for the "Week", subsequently adapted by the Joint International Committee, was prepared by the faithful in Umlazi, South Africa, a very poor town where AIDS has acquired pandemic proportions and human hopes are few and far between. But the Risen Christ is hope for everyone. He is so especially for Christians.

As heirs of the divisions that came about in past epochs, on this occasion they have wished to launch an appeal: Christ can do all things, "he makes the deaf hear and the mute speak" (Mk 7:37). He is capable of imbuing Christians with the ardent desire to listen to the other, to communicate with the other and, together with him, speak the language of reciprocal love.

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity thus reminds us that ecumenism is a profound dialogical experience, a listening and speaking to one another, knowing one another better; it is a task within everyone's reach, especially when it concerns spiritual ecumenism, based on prayer and sharing which is now possible among Christians.

I hope that the longing for unity, expressed in prayer and brotherly collaboration to alleviate human suffering, may spread increasingly in parishes and ecclesial movements as well as among Religious institutes.

I take this opportunity to thank the Ecumenical Commission of the Vicariate of Rome and the city's parish priests who encourage the faithful to celebrate the "Week".

More generally, I am grateful to all who pray and work for unity with conviction and constancy in every part of the world. May Mary, Mother of the Church, help all the faithful to allow themselves in their innermost depths to be opened by Christ to reciprocal communication in charity and in truth, to become one heart and one soul (cf. Acts 4:32) in him.

His homily at the closing of the Octave (January 25, 2007) can be found here. In that homily he said the following:

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

During the "Week of Prayer" that will conclude this evening, the common entreaty addressed to the Lord for Christian unity was intensified in the various Churches and Ecclesial Communities across the world. Together, we meditated on the words of Mark's Gospel that have just been proclaimed: "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak" (Mk 7:37), the biblical theme suggested by the Christian Communities of South Africa.

The situations of racism, poverty, conflict, exploitation, sickness and suffering in which they find themselves because of the impossibility of being able to make themselves understood in their needs, gives rise in them to an acute need to hear the word of God and to speak courageously.

Is not being deaf and mute, that is, being unable either to listen or to speak, a sign of a lack of communion and a symptom of division? Division and the inability to communicate, a consequence of sin, are contrary to God's plan. This year Africa has given us a theme for reflection of great religious and political importance, because the ability "to speak" and "to listen" is an essential condition for building the civilization of love.

The words "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak" are good news that proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of God and the healing of the inability to communicate and of division. This message is rediscovered in all Jesus' preaching and work. Wherever he went, whether traveling through villages, cities or the countryside, the people "laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well" (Mk 6:56).

The healing of the deaf-mute, on which we have meditated in these days occurred while Jesus, having left the region of Tyre, was making his way to the Sea of Galilee through the so-called "Decapolis", a multi-ethnic and multi-religious district (cf. Mk 7:31), an emblematic situation even in our day.

As elsewhere, in the Decapolis too, they presented a sick man to Jesus, a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment (moghìlalon), begging him to lay his hands upon him because they considered him a man of God.

Jesus took the man aside from the multitude and performed gestures that infer a salvific contact: he put his fingers into his ears, and touched the tongue of the sick man with his own saliva, then, looking up to Heaven, he commanded: "Be opened!". He spoke this command in Aramaic (Ephphatha), in all likelihood the language of the people present and of the deaf-mute himself. The Evangelist translated this term into Greek as (dianoìchthēti). The ears of the deaf man were opened, his tongue was released, and "he spoke plainly" (orthōs).

Jesus exhorted them to say nothing about the miracle. But the more he exhorted them, "the more zealously they proclaimed it" (Mk 7:36). And the comment full of wonder of those who had been there recalls the preaching of Isaiah concerning the coming of the Messiah: "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak" (Mk 7:37).

The first lesson we draw from this biblical episode, also recalled in the rite of Baptism, is that listening, in the Christian perspective, is a priority.

In this regard, Jesus says explicitly: "Blessed ... are those who hear the word of God and keep it" (Lk 11:28). Indeed, to Martha worried about many things, he said that "one thing is needful" (Lk 10:42). And from the context it becomes evident that this "one thing" is the obedient listening to the Word. Therefore, listening to the Word of God is a priority for our ecumenical commitment. Indeed, it is not we who act or who organize the unity of the Church. The Church does not make herself or live of herself, but from the creative Word that comes from the mouth of God.

To listen to the word of God together; to practice the lectio divina of the Bible, that is, reading linked with prayer; letting ourselves be amazed by the newness of the Word of God that never ages and is never depleted; overcoming our deafness to those words that do not correspond with our prejudices and our opinions; to listen and also to study, in the communion of believers of all ages; all these things constitute a path to be taken in order to achieve unity in the faith as a response to listening to the Word.

Anyone who listens to the Word of God can and must speak and transmit it to others, to those who have never heard it, or who have forgotten it and buried under the thorny troubles and deceptions of the world (cf. Mt 13:22).

We must ask ourselves: have not we Christians become perhaps too silent? Do we not perhaps lack the courage to speak out and witness as did those who witnessed the healing of the deaf-mute in the Decapolis? Our world needs this witness; above all, it is waiting for the common testimony of Christians.

Therefore listening to the God who speaks also implies a reciprocal listening, the dialogue between the Churches and the Ecclesial Communities. Honest and loyal dialogue is the typical and indispensable instrument in the quest for unity.

The Decree on Ecumenism of the Second Vatican Council emphasized that if Christians do not know each other reciprocally, progress on the path of communion is unthinkable. Indeed, in dialogue we listen and communicate; we confront one another and, with God's grace, it is possible to converge on his Word, accepting its demands that apply to all.

The Council Fathers did not expect listening and dialogue to be helpful for ecumenical progress alone, but they added a perspective which refers to the Catholic Church herself: "From such dialogue" the conciliar text states, "will emerge still more clearly what the situation of the Catholic Church really is" (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 9).

It is indispensable "that the doctrine be clearly presented in its entirety" for a dialogue that confronts, discusses and overcomes the divergences that still exist among Christians, but of course, "the manner and order in which Catholic belief is expressed should in no way become an obstacle to dialogue with our brethren" (ibid., n. 11).

It is necessary to speak correctly (orthos) and in a comprehensible way. The ecumenical dialogue entails evangelical fraternal correction and leads to a reciprocal spiritual enrichment in the sharing of authentic experiences of faith and Christian life.

For this to happen, we must tirelessly implore the help of God's grace and the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit. This is what the Christians of the whole world did during this special "Week" or what they will do in the Novena that precedes Pentecost, as on every appropriate occasion, raising their trusting prayer that all Christ's disciples may be one, and that, in listening to the Word, they may be able to give a concordant witness with the men and women of our time.

In this atmosphere of intense communion, I would like to address my cordial greeting to all those present: to the Cardinal Archpriest of this Basilica and to the Cardinal President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and to the other Cardinals, to my venerable Brothers in the Episcopate and in the priesthood, to the Benedictine monks, to the men and women Religious, to the lay people who represent the entire diocesan community of Rome.

I would especially like to greet the brethren from the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities who have taken part in the celebration, thereby renewing the important tradition of concluding the "Week of Prayer" together on the day when we commemorate the striking conversion of St Paul on the road to Damascus.

I am pleased to point out that the tomb of the Apostle to the Gentiles, where we are today, has recently undergone investigation and study, subsequent to which it was decided to make it visible to pilgrims by a timely adjustment under the main altar. I express my congratulations on this important initiative.

To the intercession of St Paul, untiring builder of the unity of the Church, I entrust the fruits of listening and of the common witness we have been able to experience in the numerous fraternal meetings and dialogues that took place during 2006, both with the Eastern Churches and with the Churches and Ecclesial Communities in the West.

In these events, it was possible to perceive the joy of brotherhood, together with regret that the tensions endure, keeping ever alive the hope that the Lord kindles within us.

Let us thank all those who helped to intensify the ecumenical dialogue with prayer, with the offering of their suffering and with their tireless action. It is above all to Our Lord Jesus Christ that we render our fervent thanks for everything.

May the Virgin Mary obtain that we may achieve as soon as possible the ardent desire of her divine Son: "that they may all be one ... so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21).

To Guide our Feet into the Way of Peace

Today is the Feast day of St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke records the prophecy of the high priest Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist. Zacharias prophecies that John the Baptist will "go on before the Lord to prepare His ways", and "to guide our feet into the way of peace." (St. Luke 1:76,79)

In St. Luke 12:49-53, Jesus shows us that the way of peace is necessarily one that involves conflict with the world, a certain kind of conflict with those who reject and hate Christ, as I have discussed here. But the way of peace must bring peace and unity to and among and between all those who love Christ. In these last days, we lift our heads to prepare for Christ's return. The Bride makes herself ready for His second coming. And again we need our feet to be guided into the way of peace. For if we are separated into myriad schisms, how can we say that we are walking in the way of peace? Shouldn't the way of peace lead us to be at peace with each other, united in faith, practice and governance? Shouldn't the followers of the "Prince of Peace" be at peace with each other? Shouldn't the way of peace necessarily involve being reconciled to our brothers and sisters in Christ (St. Matthew 5:24)? At the very least, shouldn't the way of peace involve an unrelenting impassioned effort on our part to be reconciled to our brothers and sisters from whom we are separated by schism? Can he who makes no such effort say to himself rightly, "I am walking in the way of peace"? St. Peter tells that we "must seek peace and pursue it" (1 Peter 3:11) If we are men and women of peace, men and women walking in the way of peace, then shouldn't we be seeking and pursuing peace with those in the household of faith from whom we are estranged? An individualistic notion of peace would concern itself only with our personal relation to Christ, and would not include our relation to our brothers and sisters in Christ. But the writer to the Hebrews commands us to "pursue peace with all men" (Hebrews 12:14). So how much more ought we to be pursuing peace with those within the "household of faith"?

Is all this mere idealism? A confusion of the already and the not yet? The writers of Scripture do not tell us to wait until the eschaton to pursue peace. The command is for Today, because the way of peace into which our feet are to be guided is for Today. The fractured state of Christendom can become so ordinary and familiar to us that calls and efforts to restore and retrieve peace and unity seem idealistic, radical and even foolish. But that is only because we have grown so accustomed to the state of schism that it no longer seems evil to us. The unity of the early Christians was such that they "were together and had all things in common" (Acts 2:44). We have to recover an awareness of the unity and peace that Christ gave to the Church (St. John 14:27), and which He desires us to maintain and pursue in His Household and His Body, the Church. We know that a "house divided cannot stand". (St. Matthew 12:25; St. Mark 3:25; St. Luke 11:17) And is it not a cancerous condition when a body contains cells or groups of cells that pursue an end of their own making, and not the good and unity of the whole body? It seems to me that we need to be spreading the following word to all believers, including those with whom we are already in full communion: "Come, let us fervently pursue peace and reconciliation with those believers who are presently estranged from us. Let us not rest until this reconciliation is achieved and the schisms removed. The Prince of Peace is coming soon. Let us prepare ourselves by making peace with each other."

Lord Jesus, may we be made one, as you and the Father are one. Make us instruments of your peace. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Nevin on Catholic Unity

In June I wrote these comments on Nevin's article "Catholic Unity". What I appreciate so much about Nevin's article is that he is deeply aware of the fragmented state of Christendom, and deeply aware of it as something deplorable and lamentable. He would be willing to give his life to bring about some increase in Christian unity. That awareness and that willingness stand in tremendous contrast to the common indifference to the present state of fragmentation. But as I point out in the link above, Nevin did not have the philosophical training to recognize what was necessary for "organic unity".

Branches or Schisms?

In July of this year I wrote about the possibility of schism as a test of ecclesiology. Recently I came across Keith Mathison's "branch theory of the visible Church" in his book The Shape of Sola Scriptura. His branch theory is the notion that "the one invisible Church is found scattered throughout numerous visible 'fragments' or 'branches'." The problem with Mathison's theory is that it seems to eliminate the possibility of schism. All schisms are now just "branches". We know it is wrong to be in schism* (see below), but being in a 'branch' seems quite innocuous, even natural and organic. So what is the difference, for Mathison, between forming a branch, and forming a schism? Between forming a branch, and forming a division or a faction? Between remaining in a branch, and remaining in a schism? If in Mathison's ecclesiology there is no possibility of schism, that suggests that something is seriously wrongly with his ecclesiology. But if 'branches' are actually schisms, then they should not be called 'branches'; they should be called what they are: schisms. Neither forming a schism nor remaining in schism should be euphemized or treated as innocuous. Schisms should be healed by way of reconciliation, and those who are in schism should be striving daily to effect and achieve reconciliation. One of Satan's chief ways of preserving schisms is by deceiving us into believing that we are not in schism. And the easiest way to do that is to redescribe schism with a pleasant euphemism. Then, blinded by our euphemism into believing that there is no more schism, we see no need to seek to restore unity. Schism, apparently, was only something that occurred long ago; now there is just branching.

But when our ecclesiology has no room for the possibility of schism, Scripture's many warnings about schism should raise a red flag that we have defined unity down:

"I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions..." (Romans 16:17)

"Now I exhort you brothers through the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ, that all of you confess the same thing, and there be no schisms among you, but you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose." (1 Corinthians 1:10)

God has composed [the body of Christ] ... that "there should be no schism in the body". (1 Cor 12:25)

"Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are:, ... disputes, dissensions, factions." (Galatians 5:19-20)

"In the last time there shall be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. These are the ones who cause divisions ..." (Jude 1:18-19)

While it is still Today; Night is Coming

I recently participated in a discussion in the combox of Jon Barlow's post regarding Matt Yonke's, "On How The Federal Vision Made Me Catholic". In that discussion, Jeff Myers, the senior pastor of Providence Presbyterian Church, claimed that the Catholic Church is "guilty of serious liturgical idolatry". That led to a discussion of the proper religious use of images and statues, and whether we may ask the saints in heaven to pray for us.

Jon also put up a link to Rick Phillips' [Reformation21] article on Mother Teresa titled "Mother Teresa's Redemption". My reply to Phillips' article is accessible here.

Yesterday, a dear friend of mine said something to me very notable concerning community. Community, she said, is formed over meals. But there is a Meal that is the source of true Community. That Meal is the Eucharist, the very Body and Blood of our Lord. That Meal makes us one by incorporating us into Christ's mystical Body. I was reminded of my recent discussion (here and here) with Lane Keister, at Green Baggins, regarding "Church Unity". His position, which is not an uncommon position among a certain strand of Protestantism, is that we are all already united, spiritually, simply in virtue of believing in Christ. And that's the only sort of ecclesial unity that really matters, in his view. Efforts to increase institutional unity are unnecessary, according to that point of view, because the Church is not an institution, but merely a spiritual union spiritually united, an invisible Body with some visible members. But I am not fully united with Lane, because we do not partake of the same Meal. We are not in full communion because we do not both partake of the Eucharist. "The wound is still more profound in those ecclesial communities which have not preserved the apostolic succession or the valid celebration of the eucharist." (Commentary on Responsa ad Quaestiones) Surely we cannot deny that the kind of unity Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would have includes the unity effected by sharing the Eucharist.

In early May, I wrote two things on Church unity that I have not yet linked here. The first is a theoretical evaluation of the four possible ways of unifying Catholics and Protestants. That is accessible here. (For the sake of simplicity, I use the term 'Catholic Church' there in a way that includes the Orthodox in the Catholic Church -- an expression of my faith that we will again be one in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.) The second is a sober look ahead, based loosely on St. Augustine's City of God. That is accessible here.

Let us keep striving, brothers and sisters, for full visible unity through our prayers, and through our charitable deeds, and through our dialogues with all those with whom we are not yet in full communion. "With God all things are possible" (St. Matthew 19:26) My own heart feels something like that expressed by Oscar Schindler at the end of "Schindler's List", when he keeps thinking, looking back, that he could have done so much more, until he is reduced to weeping. That is how I feel about the wounds and divisions in the Body of Christ. I could have done more. But we have today, to do what we can do today, right now, with what we have been given, to heal those wounds. Let us not grow weary in doing good. (2 Thess. 3:13).

Some recent interactions, and a response to Peter Leithart

"Pursue peace with all men" (Hebrews 12:14)

How much more does that imperative apply to our responsibility to our brothers and sisters in Christ with whom we are presently not at peace because of differences in doctrine, practice, and magisterial authority? There was a generation of young people that broke down a concrete wall in Berlin in 1989. I remember watching them by television as they joyfully chipped away at it with sledge hammers. I pray to God and plead with my brothers and sisters in Christ to make every effort to break down those walls that still divide us, by reaching through them to dialogue sincerely, charitably and humbly with those on the other side. Far more than that one do these present walls demand tearing down.

I will not be able to post as often, given my other responsibilities. So here I will mention a few discussions I have participated in relatively recently. In early June I had a discussion with Jonathan Barlow in the combox of his post titled "Frame on Confessional Subscription". There we talked about what sort of authority tradition has, and I presented a dilemma regarding sacramental magisterial authority. In mid-June I also participated in a discussion about individualism in the combox of Jon's post "PCA Adopts GA Report on Federal Vision". Around that time I had a brief exchange with Gabe Martini on his post titled Sin and unity; Ephesians 2:14-16. Shortly after that I discussed the doctrine of assurance with Wayne Larson and Joel Garver on Wayne's blog article titled "Peter on Assurance". I also discussed the nature of true ecclesial unity with Alastair Roberts at his post titled "Thoughts on Denominations, Church Union and Reunion 2". In late June I discussed that same topic with Jonathan Bonomo and Peter Escalante at Jonathan Bonomo's post "Eight Points of Clarification on who we are and where we are Coming from". In mid-July I discussed imputation with Jonathan Barlow in the combox of his article "Clark on Imputation (Again)". Toward the end of July I had a discussion with Jeff Myers in the combox of his post titled "Trinity & Church X - John 17" where I argued that the unity that Christ refers to in John 17 includes ontological unity, not merely affective or volitional unity. In mid-August I again discussed the Trinity with Jeff in the combox of his post "Covenant & Trinity". There I argued that generation and spiration are necessary to avoid modalism and tritheism. And during the past few days I discussed sacramental magisterial authority with Lane Keister in the combox of his post titled "The Church".

A few weeks ago Jon [Barlow] posted a link on his blog to Peter Leithart's Aug/Sept 1995 article in First Things titled "Why Protestants Still Protest". It is a significant article, and I couldn't find any published response to it. (I confess that I didn't look very hard, so it wouldn't surprise me if there are responses that I missed.) So I wrote a response and uploaded it today. It is available here.

Nobody thought that wall would come down for a long time. We have to believe that we can tear down those walls that now divide the Body of Christ. Protestants and Catholics are ten years away from being separated from each other for five hundred years. Catholics and Orthodox are forty-seven years from being separated from each other for one thousand years. Come, brothers and sisters in Christ, let us tear down these walls, for the glory of Christ, and the sake of His sacred pierced heart that continues to cry out for the peace and full unity of His covenant people. Our lives are short. What are we waiting for? Will it be our generation or some future generation that tears down these walls?

Lord, may it be ours. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." (Matthew 5:9)

Ecclesial Unity is the Passion of Christ's Sacred Heart

Why am I not devoting time to refuting the so-called "new atheists" (e.g. Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett)? Because I believe that removing the divisions that presently separate Christians is more important by many orders of magnitude. What weakens the Church more: the present schisms, or the new atheists? But many Christians seem much more energized and eager to respond to the new atheists than to pursue the reunion and reconciliation of all Christians.

The Acts of Peter and Paul record that while Peter was being crucified upside-down, he said the following to the crowd:

A few days ago, being exhorted by the brethren, I was going away; and my Lord Jesus Christ met me, and having adored Him, I said, Lord, whither are You going? And He said to me, I am going to Rome to be crucified. And I said to Him, Lord, were You not crucified once for all? And the Lord answering, said, I saw you fleeing from death, and I wish to be crucified instead of you. And I said, Lord, I go; I fulfil Your command.

Christ's love is so intense that He would, if it would help us, be again crucified for us. He still wishes to be crucified instead of us, if necessary, even though He has already done so. Likewise, the longing for the unity of His followers that He shows in John 17 is no less intense today than it was when He prayed it in 33 AD. Christ presently stills prays to the Father for all His followers to be one. That desire and prayer pours forth continually from His sacred heart, pierced by the soldier's spear.



We who are persuaded that the passion of Christ's sacred heart includes the desire that all His disciples be one as He and the Father are one, and for the sake of effecting Christian unity are pursuing dialogue with those of other traditions, need within ourselves hearts full of courage and humility. We have to be prepared for disappointment and rejection. I do not mean that we should ever give up; on the contrary we must be resolved never to give up. I mean that we have to work tirelessly for this goal while being prepared not only to see no fruit for long periods of time, but even to face a lifetime of rejections and refusals.

Why? Serious dialogue with those outside one's own tradition requires at least two virtues. First, it requires a great deal of courage. Dialoguing with those outside one's own tradition can be somewhat frightening because in entering such a dialogue one knows that one's own beliefs very well may be challenged. Many people would rather not participate in such a dialogue for that very reason. It is so much easier and more comfortable to insulate oneself and dialogue mostly with those within one's own tradition, to read only authors from one's own tradition, to ignore those traditions that are so different from one's own. We have a natural tendency to want to be right, and therefore to find support for what we believe. We are therefore drawn toward that which supports our own positions, and we tend not to seek out alternative positions and criticisms of our positions. We need courage to overcome that tendency, to sit ourselves down at the table of ecumenical dialogue. Those engaging in ecumenical dialogues also face the possibility of ridicule and rejection from those whom they love and cherish, not simply for engaging in such dialogue, but also for any changes in their positions that may result from such dialogue.

This dialogue also requires humility. By humility I do not mean skepticism or feigned ignorance. We have to be willing to admit it when we realize that our own position is wrong. And when we learn that we have mischaracterized our interlocutor's position, we have to apologize for having done so. We will find that courage and humility, if we make love for truth our priority, and prayerfully meditate on the sacred heart of Jesus, seeking to have that same heart, to be entirely one with His heart such that the life and passion and desire of His sacred heart is likewise the life and passion and desire of our hearts.

It is easy, I think, to assume unconsciously that somebody at some higher ecclesial level or in some future generation will work these things out and bring the Protestants and the Orthodox and the Catholics back together. Ecumenical efforts, we tend to think, are only for representatives of our respective traditions. I believe strongly that that sort of mentality is mistaken. I think we should not assume that the National Council of Churches of the World Council of Churches or some other such body will complete this task for us. I believe that I have to do whatever is in my power to try to bring Christians into full unity (i.e. unity based on truth). And that means that I think Catholics and Orthodox and Protestants (not just clerics but also laypersons) should be in constant dialogue with each other, sorting out the fundamental causes of our division, and seeking with all our hearts to be reconciled and reunited. That means for me that I have to be in constant dialogue with those Christians from whom I am presently divided, working to effect reconciliation, reunion and genuine unity based on the truth.

Christ laid down His life for us, and we have an opportunity in this generation to lay down our lives for the sake of unifying Christ's Church. Here is the Body of Christ, still with us, rent and torn, and we can be like the priest and Levite, who passed by on the other side of the road, or we can be like the good Samaritan, who stopped and bandaged up the wounds, pouring oil and wine on them. (Luke 10:30-37) If we are in the Body of Christ, then we will nourish and cherish it, for it is our Body. "For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church." (Eph 5:29) Let us bandage up the wounds in Christ's Body, pouring oil and wine on them. How blessed was the woman who washed Jesus's feet with perfume and her tears and her hair? (Luke 7:36-50) How blessed were Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, who lovingly and reverently bound the body of Jesus in linen wrappings with the spices (John 19:40). How much more blessed, then, are we who bandage the wounds of the Body of Christ, pouring oil and wine on them? Shall not the reward be great in heaven for those who have so tenderly treated and healed the wounds of our dear Savior's Body?

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God." Matthew 5:9