Pope: Christian message affects less in community life
Below is a translation of the Holy Father’s Homily at Vespers:
Dear brothers and sisters,
It 's always a joy and a special grace come together, around the tomb of the Apostle Paul, concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I greet with affection the Cardinals present, first Cardinal Harvey, Archpriest of this Basilica, and with him the Abbot and the Community of monks who are hosting us. I greet Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and all employees of the Department. I express my cordial and fraternal greetings to His Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios, the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Rev. Canon Richardson, Personal Representative in Rome the Archbishop of Canterbury, and all the representatives of the different Churches and Ecclesial Communities, gathered here this evening. In addition, I am particularly pleased to greet the members of the Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, to whom I wish a fruitful work for the plenary session that is taking place these days in Rome, as well as students Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, on a visit to Rome to deepen their knowledge of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox young people who study here. Lastly, I greet all those present agreed to pray for the unity of all the disciples of Christ.
This celebration is part of the Year of Faith, which began on 11 October, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Communion in the same faith is the basis for ecumenism. The unit is in fact given by God as inseparable from faith it expresses effectively St. Paul: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is only one hope to which you were called, that belongs to your call, a one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is over all, works through all and in all "(Eph. 4:4-6). The baptismal profession of faith in God, the Father and Creator, who revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ, pouring out the Spirit who gives life and holiness, already unites Christians. Without faith - which is primarily a gift of God, but also man's response - the whole ecumenical movement would be reduced to a form of "contract" which adhere to a common interest. The Second Vatican Council recalls that Christians "with the closer communion will be united with the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, the more deeply and easily will they be able to increase mutual brotherhood" (Decree UR, 7). Doctrinal issues that still divide us must not be overlooked or minimized. They should rather be faced with courage, in a spirit of brotherhood and mutual respect. The dialogue, when it reflects the priority of faith, can open to the action of God with the firm conviction that alone we can not build unity, but it is the Holy Spirit who guides us toward full communion, and draws from the wealth spiritual present in different Churches and Ecclesial Communities.
In today's society it seems that the Christian message affects less and less in personal and community life, and this is a challenge for all the Churches and Ecclesial Communities. The unit is in itself a privileged, almost a prerequisite to announce more and more credible faith to those who do not yet know the Saviour, or that, having received the proclamation of the Gospel, have almost forgotten this precious gift . The scandal of division that undermined the missionary activity was the impulse that started the ecumenical movement that we know today. The full and visible communion among Christians is to be understood, in fact, as a fundamental characteristic of a witness even clearer. While we are on the path towards full unity, then it is necessary to pursue practical cooperation among the disciples of Christ for the sake of passing on the faith to the contemporary world. Today there is a great need for reconciliation, dialogue and mutual understanding, with a view not moralistic, but in the name of authenticity Christian for a stronger presence in the reality of our time.
True faith in God that it is inseparable from the personal holiness, as well as the pursuit of justice. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which ended today, the theme offered for our meditation was, "What the Lord requires of us," inspired by the words of the prophet Micah, we have heard (see 6.6 - 8). It has been proposed by the Student Christian Movement in India, in collaboration with the All India Catholic University Federation and the National Council of Churches in India, who also prepared the aids for reflection and prayer. To those who have collaborated want to express my deep gratitude and with great affection, I assure you of my prayers for all Christians of India, which sometimes are called to bear witness to their faith in difficult conditions. "Walk humbly with God" (cf. I 6.8) means first walk in radical faith, like Abraham, trusting in God, or rather to discover in him all our hopes and aspirations, but it also means walking past the barriers, and hatred , racism and social discrimination and religious divide and harm society as a whole. As St Paul says, Christians must first provide a shining example in the search for reconciliation and communion in Christ, beyond any kind of division. In the Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle of the Gentiles says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus "(3:27-28).
Our search for unity in truth and in love, then, must never lose sight of the perception that Christian unity is the work and gift of the Holy Spirit, and goes far beyond our own efforts. Therefore, spiritual ecumenism, especially prayer is the heart of the ecumenical (cf. Decr. UR, 8). However, ecumenism will not bear lasting fruit if not accompanied by concrete gestures of conversion, which stir the conscience and foster the healing of memories and relationships. As stated in the Decree on Ecumenism of the Second Vatican Council, "there is no true ecumenism without interior conversion" (n. 7). Genuine conversion, as suggested by the prophet Micah and which the Apostle Paul is a significant example, will bring us closer to God at the center of our lives, so also draw closer to each other. This is a key element of our ecumenical commitment. The renewal of the inner life of our heart and our mind, which is reflected in everyday life, is crucial in any process of reconciliation and dialogue, ecumenism by a mutual commitment to understanding, respect and love, "so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us invoke the Virgin Mary with confidence, incomparable model of evangelization for the Church, "a sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of unity among all men" (Lumen Gentium, 1), ads frankly, in our time, Christ the Savior. Amen.
It 's always a joy and a special grace come together, around the tomb of the Apostle Paul, concluding the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I greet with affection the Cardinals present, first Cardinal Harvey, Archpriest of this Basilica, and with him the Abbot and the Community of monks who are hosting us. I greet Cardinal Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, and all employees of the Department. I express my cordial and fraternal greetings to His Eminence Metropolitan Gennadios, the representative of the Ecumenical Patriarch, the Rev. Canon Richardson, Personal Representative in Rome the Archbishop of Canterbury, and all the representatives of the different Churches and Ecclesial Communities, gathered here this evening. In addition, I am particularly pleased to greet the members of the Mixed Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, to whom I wish a fruitful work for the plenary session that is taking place these days in Rome, as well as students Ecumenical Institute of Bossey, on a visit to Rome to deepen their knowledge of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox young people who study here. Lastly, I greet all those present agreed to pray for the unity of all the disciples of Christ.
This celebration is part of the Year of Faith, which began on 11 October, the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council. Communion in the same faith is the basis for ecumenism. The unit is in fact given by God as inseparable from faith it expresses effectively St. Paul: "There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is only one hope to which you were called, that belongs to your call, a one Lord, one faith, one baptism. One God and Father of all, who is over all, works through all and in all "(Eph. 4:4-6). The baptismal profession of faith in God, the Father and Creator, who revealed himself in his Son Jesus Christ, pouring out the Spirit who gives life and holiness, already unites Christians. Without faith - which is primarily a gift of God, but also man's response - the whole ecumenical movement would be reduced to a form of "contract" which adhere to a common interest. The Second Vatican Council recalls that Christians "with the closer communion will be united with the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit, the more deeply and easily will they be able to increase mutual brotherhood" (Decree UR, 7). Doctrinal issues that still divide us must not be overlooked or minimized. They should rather be faced with courage, in a spirit of brotherhood and mutual respect. The dialogue, when it reflects the priority of faith, can open to the action of God with the firm conviction that alone we can not build unity, but it is the Holy Spirit who guides us toward full communion, and draws from the wealth spiritual present in different Churches and Ecclesial Communities.
In today's society it seems that the Christian message affects less and less in personal and community life, and this is a challenge for all the Churches and Ecclesial Communities. The unit is in itself a privileged, almost a prerequisite to announce more and more credible faith to those who do not yet know the Saviour, or that, having received the proclamation of the Gospel, have almost forgotten this precious gift . The scandal of division that undermined the missionary activity was the impulse that started the ecumenical movement that we know today. The full and visible communion among Christians is to be understood, in fact, as a fundamental characteristic of a witness even clearer. While we are on the path towards full unity, then it is necessary to pursue practical cooperation among the disciples of Christ for the sake of passing on the faith to the contemporary world. Today there is a great need for reconciliation, dialogue and mutual understanding, with a view not moralistic, but in the name of authenticity Christian for a stronger presence in the reality of our time.
True faith in God that it is inseparable from the personal holiness, as well as the pursuit of justice. The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which ended today, the theme offered for our meditation was, "What the Lord requires of us," inspired by the words of the prophet Micah, we have heard (see 6.6 - 8). It has been proposed by the Student Christian Movement in India, in collaboration with the All India Catholic University Federation and the National Council of Churches in India, who also prepared the aids for reflection and prayer. To those who have collaborated want to express my deep gratitude and with great affection, I assure you of my prayers for all Christians of India, which sometimes are called to bear witness to their faith in difficult conditions. "Walk humbly with God" (cf. I 6.8) means first walk in radical faith, like Abraham, trusting in God, or rather to discover in him all our hopes and aspirations, but it also means walking past the barriers, and hatred , racism and social discrimination and religious divide and harm society as a whole. As St Paul says, Christians must first provide a shining example in the search for reconciliation and communion in Christ, beyond any kind of division. In the Letter to the Galatians, the Apostle of the Gentiles says, "You are all sons of God through faith in Jesus Christ, as many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus "(3:27-28).
Our search for unity in truth and in love, then, must never lose sight of the perception that Christian unity is the work and gift of the Holy Spirit, and goes far beyond our own efforts. Therefore, spiritual ecumenism, especially prayer is the heart of the ecumenical (cf. Decr. UR, 8). However, ecumenism will not bear lasting fruit if not accompanied by concrete gestures of conversion, which stir the conscience and foster the healing of memories and relationships. As stated in the Decree on Ecumenism of the Second Vatican Council, "there is no true ecumenism without interior conversion" (n. 7). Genuine conversion, as suggested by the prophet Micah and which the Apostle Paul is a significant example, will bring us closer to God at the center of our lives, so also draw closer to each other. This is a key element of our ecumenical commitment. The renewal of the inner life of our heart and our mind, which is reflected in everyday life, is crucial in any process of reconciliation and dialogue, ecumenism by a mutual commitment to understanding, respect and love, "so that the world may believe" (Jn 17:21).
Dear brothers and sisters, let us invoke the Virgin Mary with confidence, incomparable model of evangelization for the Church, "a sign and instrument of intimate union with God and of unity among all men" (Lumen Gentium, 1), ads frankly, in our time, Christ the Savior. Amen.
