“Christian Unity: Where and when did it all go wrong?”
These past few days I guess many of us have watched coverage of the
visit of His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI to this land. Watching the
service of Evening Prayer from Westminster Abbey was both uplifting and
deeply, deeply sad in equal measure.
Where did it all go wrong? Why did it all go wrong?
The short answer to that last question is “for very good reasons”.
Unity is not about being chummy– pretending we’re all the same really -
that’s simply papering over the cracks. Our Unity has come about as a
result of what we, in our different denominations, want to believe and
what we do not (in some cases under any circumstances) want to believe!
Different emphases and doctrines. And I guess all of us can be guilty
of intolerance - that the other point of view is wrong, or perhaps they
don’t understand us. We in our turn may wish, over the consecration of
women bishops or gay bishops (to name a current debate) to claim we are
right and the ‘others’ have got it wrong. Where did it all go wrong?
Why did it all go wrong?
In 1976 my Aunt (who is also my Godmother) had to ask permission of her
Roman Catholic Parish Priest to enter an Anglican church building for
my confirmation. It was lovely when in 1992 I was invited, quite
naturally and without asking permission, to share in the liturgy of my
cousin’s wedding in Portsmouth RC Cathedral, though whether my presence
on the altar there contributed to the break-up a year later I don’t
know!
It is scandalous to think that only some 40 years ago, Roman Catholics
and non-Roman Catholics were forbidden from saying the Our Father
together. We might have a long way to go, and indeed the end of the
journey may not be for us to determine, but thank God for the steps
which have been taken. Not least the remarkable united witness of
church leaders here on Merseyside – a commitment to doing things
‘better together’ which has quite literally had an influence on the
ecumenical scene worldwide.
Since 1907 churches have formally set aside a particular week to pray
for Unity, and I hope that as the years pass full unity and communion
is something more of a reality than a dream.
But does a week in the dark winter month of January actually achieve
anything? How many of you place great store by United Worship with
Christians of other denominations?
It is true to say, that at most joint events the turn-out is pretty
appalling, relatively speaking, for every congregation. Only those who
are sad or in need of a life go to those events – some say!
For us to even entertain the idea that Christian Unity is something we
can opt for or not is in itself a scandal and an outrage.
Christian Unity is something we might choose to put on our
agenda. In reality it is not our agenda, but God's. Unity
is not only desirable but necessary if we are to be an effective church
with a credible witness to the world.
Christian Unity is about wholeness - coming together as differing and
varying members of one body. It is about healing wounds. We
know from our own experience of physical pain that some wounds run deep
and take a long time to heal. Despite the deepness of the
wound, unity is a necessity if we are to be a Church claiming that it
is one, catholic and apostolic and holy.
Where did it all go wrong? Why did it all go wrong?
If we are to be a Holy Church we must first be a whole
people. Until that happens our witness and our
mission, sadly and perhaps unavoidably, will be impaired. That is cause
for concern, and it must be for every Christian a cause for
prayer. There are no short cuts. It will
happen, we pray, when the time is right. But we must pray
for that time; not just during one week of the year but every
day, "Thy will be done" we pray each day I
hope. And we know the Unity of the Church to be the will of
God. The prayer of Jesus in St. John's Gospel makes that
clear. "Father, may they be one so that the world might
believe." Our coming together, the unity we seek is more than just a
nice cosy idea, it is essential if Christ is to be made known to the
world.
There was/is much cynicism about the beatifying today of John Henry
Newman. One TV reporter last night suggested that the Church needs to
do it… because it is losing members. So, here’s a miracle and people
start flocking in – I think not!
The RC Church doesn’t need to do it, anymore than we need to ordain
women or openly gay people as bishops because our numbers are
dwindling. We don’t do it because we are desperate or clutching at
straws in hope of the popularity vote - what these skeptics forget is
that communities grounded and rooted in prayer are moved – by God the
Holy Spirit – to do things. That in itself is a miracle which if we are
not prepared to accept we must in all conscience give up any claim to
be people of faith!
You may remember the story of the wedding at Cana; it was the first of
Jesus’ miracles. A desire was made possible and, after all,
is that not the point of a miracle? Showing what can be achieved? But
achieved not on our own strength but in God's.
To achieve the point of full communion might seem little short of a
miracle: the prayer of Jesus in S. John's Gospel must be our prayer.
Unity is not somebody else’s problem or the Job of the clergy. It
involves all who have been baptised in Christ's name.
Are we happy to offer the world a broken church? Are we
prepared to pray hard? The visit of Pope Benedict I am certain
challenges us once again to lay aside our fears and prejudices; we need
the courage to have vision.
Where did it all go wrong? Why did it all go wrong?
Our prayer must be that we seek the building up not of our own little
empires, ecclesial communities or denominations, but the building up of
God's kingdom. Our prayer at this mass must echo those words of Jesus:
"Father may they be one, so that the world might believe".
On this momentous day for the Christian Church in this nation, may
Blessed John Henry Newman pray for us, and with us, that, together we
might seek that Unity which is the will and prayer of Our Lord Himself.
Amen