An ecumenism Ad intra and an ecumenism of accompaniment

1. An ecumenism ad intra

      For the time being, in our context, it is not wise to continue the ecumenism ad extra through ecumenical encounters, dialogues and cooperation with other Christian denominations. I have already said why (see The challenge of Christian unity today I). As suggested by Cardinal Kasper, it is healthy for our Catholic communities to foster the ecumenism ad intra. This ecumenism implies personal and community conversion and a deep and strong formation to true ecumenism attitude[1].

      There is no ecumenism without conversion and reform  as we are reminded by both the Council’s Fathers in Unitatis redintegratio (n°6-8) and Saint John Paul II in his encyclical Ut unum sint (n°15-17). If Christians are scattered today, it’s not fair to consider those who have left the Catholic Church as mere prodigal sons and daughters. Maybe it is our own fault too, for there is a clear awareness of our own failure to live the Gospel, to practice what we teach and believe. Had we put in practice the new commandment of the Lord (Jn 13:34), few people would have left our communities and join the new religious movements; where it’s said there is a strong attitude of care for one another and personal warm welcoming.

       Thus, in what I call “time of pause and discernment”, an ecumenism ad intra should be the time we work to grow in unity among ourselves first. Here we need to remember the lesson of the first Christians in the New Testament: “The community of believers was of one heart and mind…They had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and great favour was accorded them all” (Ac 4: 32-33). The practice of love is certainly the best starting point to ecumenism both among us and with our brothers and sisters of other Christian confessions.

       Adding to the practice of love, there is also the need to strengthen the identity of our communities’ members together with their sense of belonging to the Church   This is the task proper to the shepherds in charge of communities. To carry it out, they have just to use the means already at their disposal in the Church, but perhaps with more vigour and conviction.

         According to the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms on Ecumenism (n°59-63), these means for Christian formation are:

• Hearing and studying the Word of God: Catholic faithful have less direct contact with the Word of God than other Christians, who always use biblical quotations to confuse them. There is a need in our Catholic communities to rediscover the Holy Scriptures, together with Tradition, "as the supreme rule of faith" and as "the food of the soul, the pure and perennial source of spiritual life” (Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum (DV), n°. 21). This rediscovery of the importance of the Scriptures may take the form of “Bible studies” and “Lectio divina” in our parishes and communities. Note that all the new churches have a day consecrated to “Bible studies”, as it is clearly indicated on their notice boards.
• Preaching: Particular care must be taken with preaching, whether within or outside of liturgical worship. In Evangelii Gaudium (n°135-144), Pope Francis has recently given some orientations to the preachers to make their sermons closer to life and to become a real spiritual food, both for the preachers and for the people to whom they preach.
• Catechesis: Catechesis should not be seen and done only as the teaching of doctrine, but as initiation into the Christian life as a whole, with full participation in the sacraments of the Church. To this spiritual catechesis, we also need to add an incisive social catechesis in which Catholic Christians are helped to understand the Christian virtues to be practiced in the political, economic and secular affairs in which they are involved. For this purpose, the Social Teaching of the Church, unfortunately unknown for many Catholic faithful, may be for a great help. Nowadays, some clever “self-proclaimed prophets” take advantage of the poverty of the people. Without denying the power of prayer and liturgical celebrations, it is wrong to continue to tell people that their social condition will change with the power of God. Catechesis should also look at the root causes of poverty. 
• Liturgy: There is a high level of “liturgical illiteracy” in our Christian communities which needs to be filled in. Those who have left our communities to join other churches always say: “there is no fire in your celebrations”. This reaction shows a lack of knowledge in what Christian liturgy really is. We need to rediscover and explain the true meaning of Christian liturgy: “It is a joyful celebration of the mystery of Jesus Christ and an agent of unity; where it is fully understood and everybody fully participates in it”, says the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy Sacrosanctum Concilium, n°2; 14.
• Spiritual life: Liturgy without a personal experience of faith, a personal encounter with Jesus, may easily become an empty rite or a magic celebration. This is what happens with the misuse of the blessed water, prayer and sacraments to which some people accord a kind of magic power. A deep and personal spiritual life may help many Christians today to avoid what seems a “Spirituality of Zapping”, that is the change from one church to another according to one’s needs and feelings.
• On the diocesan level we need to ask our bishops to set up an “effective ecumenical diocesan commission” in charge of the work of ecumenism. In this time of pause, this commission should help all pastoral agents with clear ecumenical guidelines. It should help all the priests, religious and lay people interested in ecumenism to understand the “spirit of all these new churches or religious movements” around us. Indeed, if these “new churches” grow easily as mushrooms, they do not die as mushrooms. They endure in institutionalizing themselves. This means, they have an inner operating logic we need to understand.

2. An ecumenism of accompaniment

         By “ecumenism of accompaniment”, I mean a pastoral approach that would bring us closer to each other in solidarity. It implies the ability to encounter people concretely, to talk with them, and to listen to them with an openness of heart, as Pope Francis encourages us to practise a genuine spirituality of encounter (Evangelii Gaudium, n°169). Why do we need this art of accompaniment as a pastoral approach in our context characterized by the raise of many churches? Indeed, it’s quite common to judge those who leave our communities and join other churches. But do we know why they left us? Do we know the story of their life? Sometimes, no. How can we fill this gap if it is not in meeting them, wasting time with them and listen to them?

         I recently met a nurse who told me she was once a member of the Catholic Church, but she was now member of the evangelical church known as Winners Chapel. When I asked her why she changed, she answered me: “I was appointed to work in Kabala. I did not see where the Catholic Church was. One of my friends invited me one day to join her in the Winners chapel. After the prayer, I was warmly welcome. I really felt at my home in this church. So, from that time I continued to go there and worship with them”.

        Of course, this is a unique experience. We may question her reason for moving from one church to another as not sufficient. But, I do strongly believe that there are many people like this nurse who have deserted our communities and we do not have time to encounter them, listen to them and, hopefully asking them to come back home. In a time like ours, where life is hard for many people, learning the art of accompaniment may help us to give comfort for all those people to whom faith in Jesus as lived in Christian communities is the last refuge.

[1]Walter Kasper, “Present and future of the Ecumenical movement: Plenary, November 12-17/2001” in www.vatican.va/2016/10/01.