CIC: Ecumenism

Ecumenism

he Catholic Information Center believes that the Gospel calls us to work for Christian unity so that Christians may give the world a more visible expression to our deep communion in the one body of Christ. The 2cd Vatican Council called this movement, ecumenical, and it opens us to the spiritual riches and gospel traditions of other Christian churches and communities. We believe that the one Spirit of Christ, poured into all of our hearts, urge us to work with our brothers and sisters for union in faith, life, worship and mission toward the unity God wills for one Church in Christ.

ope John Paul II says there are three essential elements to the ecumenical movement: common prayer, dialogue, and shared work for human rights and the poor.

Common Prayer

ach year the centerpiece of ecumenical common prayer is found in the week of Christian Unity, which in this country is the third week in January. This is always celebrated in many ways at the Catholic Information Center, and its importance is well explained by Pope John Paul II:

"If Christians, despite their divisions, can grow ever more united in common prayer around Christ, they will grow in the awareness of how little divides them in comparison to what unites them. If they meet more often and more regularly before Christ in prayer, they will be able to gain the courage to face all the painful human reality of their divisions, and they will find themselves together once more in that community of the Church which Christ constantly builds up in the Holy Spirit, in spite of all weaknesses and human limitations." (That All May be One)

Dialogue

he second path in the ecumenical movement is dialogue, a sincere and heartfelt understanding of the differences in our traditions and doctrine. These discussions take place at all levels within the Church: from church leaders, theologians and those believers that worship at the Catholic Information Center. One example of these activities at the CIC is the Interfaith Speaker Series, held this past winter. This six-week series, co-sponsored by the CIC and the Interfaith Dialogue Association explored six world religions. Each evening was presented by a practicing member of one of the religions, with time for questions and discussion. The purpose of this and other such opportunities for ecumenical and interfaith dialogue at the CIC is to develop the mutual understanding and respect that is necessary for unity. Once again, Pope John Paul II leads the way:

"Nevertheless, besides the doctrinal differences needing to be resolved, Christians cannot underestimate the burden of long-standing misgivings inherited from the past, and of mutual misunderstandings and prejudices. Complacency, indifference and insufficient knowledge of one another often make this situation worse. Consequently, the commitment to ecumenism must be based upon the conversion of hearts and upon prayer, which will also lead to the necessary purification of past memories. With the grace of the Holy Spirit, the Lord's disciples, inspired by love, by the power of the truth and by a sincere desire for mutual forgiveness and reconciliation, are called to re-examine together their painful past and the hurt which that past regrettably continues to provoke even today. All together, they are invited by the ever fresh power of the Gospel to acknowledge with sincere and total objectivity the mistakes made and the contingent factors at work at the origins of their deplorable divisions. What is needed is a calm, clear-sighted and truthful vision of things, a vision enlivened by divine mercy and capable of freeing people's minds and of inspiring in everyone a renewed willingness, precisely with a view to proclaiming the Gospel to the men and women of every people and nation.” (That All Might Be One)"

Shared Effort

ne of the most successful elements of the ecumenical movement in this country is common efforts on behalf oh human rights and the poor. Pope John Paul has once again spoken our strongly on this issue:

It happens more and more often that the leaders of Christian Communities join together in taking a stand in the name of Christ on important problems concerning man's calling and on freedom, justice, peace, and the future of the world. In this way they "communicate" in one of the tasks which constitutes the mission of Christians: that of reminding society of God's will in a realistic manner, warning the authorities and their fellow-citizens against taking steps which would lead to the trampling of human rights. It is clear, as experience shows, that in some circumstances the united voice of Christians has more impact than any one isolated voice."

rand Rapids is fortunate to have the Grand Rapids Area Center for Ecumenism (GRACE) as a common arm for promoting justice and charity in our community. The CIC, along with the rest of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Grand Rapids, is a strong supporter of GRACE and participates in many of its projects for social justice. To receive more information about these ministries see: www.graceoffice.org/index.html

"Nor are the leaders of Communities the only ones joined in the work for unity. Many Christians from all Communities, by reason of their faith, are jointly involved in bold projects aimed at changing the world by inculcating respect for the rights and needs of everyone, especially the poor, the lowly and the defenseless. In my Encyclical Letter Sollicitudo Rei Socialis, I was pleased to note this cooperation, stressing that the Catholic Church cannot fail to take part in these efforts. In effect, Christians who once acted independently are now engaged together in the service of this cause, so that God's mercy may triumph." (That All Might Be One)