May They Be One! Will 2013 Be the Year of a Lutheran Ordinariate?

1/27/2013

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not only filled with fraternal communion, but is a manifestation of Christ himself. Moreover, ecumenical cooperation is a true school of ecumenism, a dynamic road to unity. Unity of action leads to the full unity of faith: "Through such cooperation, all believers in Christ are able to learn easily how they can understand each other better and esteem each other more, and how the road to the unity of Christians may be made smooth. In the eyes of the world, cooperation among Christians becomes a form of common Christian witness and a means of evangelization which benefits all involved." (#40)

I embrace the Catholic claim that the fullness of truth is found within the Catholic Church and carry a burden to see the prayer of Jesus recorded in St. John, Chapter 17, answered. There is a connection. Into a world that is fractured, divided, wounded, filled with "sides" and "camps" at enmity with one another, the Church is called to proclaim, by both word and deed, the unifying love of a living God.

The heart of the Gospel message is that in and through Jesus Christ, authentic unity with God - and through Him, in the Spirit, with one another- is not only possible but is the plan of God for the entire human race. The Church is the way. It was not the Lord's plan that she be divided. It is His Plan that she be restored to full communion. Let us take our lead from the clear teaching of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. These paragraphs are in the section entitled "Wounds to Unity":

"817 In fact, "in this one and only Church of God from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts, which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church - for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame." The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's Body - here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism - do not occur without human sin: Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there also are harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers.

818 "However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born into these communities [that resulted from such separation] and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers . . . . All who have been justified by faith in Baptism are incorporated into Christ; they therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church."

819 "Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth" are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church: "the written Word of God; the life of grace; faith, hope, and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, as well as visible elements." Christ's Spirit uses these Churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to him, and are in themselves calls to "Catholic unity."

820 "Christ bestowed unity on his Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time." Christ always gives his Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus himself prayed at the hour of his Passion, and does not cease praying to his Father, for the unity of his disciples: "That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be one in us, . . . so that the world may know that you have sent me." The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit."

As we end the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity my sincere prayer is that more overtures come from groups of Lutherans in the coming year. May They Be One! Will 2013 Be the Year if a Lutheran Ordinariate? I certainly hope so.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Anglican ordinariate, Lutheran ordinariate, Cardinal Koch, Archbishop Gerhard Ludwig M�ller, Pope Benedict XVI, Prayer for Christian Unity, Ut Unum Sint, Deacon Keith Fournier

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1 - 6 of 6 Comments

Ryan
3 months ago
Sounds like it would be easier for the Lutherans to get in than SSPX. Well I guess if you accept Vatican II all is forgiven and you can believe whatever you want. Our Lady said that Rome will become the Seat of the Anti-Christ. Here is it folks, all in the name inclusion.
michael
3 months ago
A Rev. John Cornelius, an episcopalian "minister", entered into the True Church just a few years ago. He will be reordained in the very near future. When interviewed he stated that he looked forward to such an event because he missed saying Mass and hadn't done so in two years. Obviously Rev. Cornelius wasn't trained properly, for he has never said Mass in his life.

The reason I bring this up is because of the danger of putting a unified front ahead of the Faith. Unity finds its fulfillment in love, but is founded on Faith. Lutheranism, be it high or low, is even more revolutionary than Anglicanism. Much conversion is needed before such individuals can enter into Holy Church.

Just two more points: First, the Church is already one and always has been one in Faith, Hope, and Love in the Catholic Church, which, despite an above comment, is not an offshoot of Judaism, but rather the true Religion carried on that began at the time of Adam. Secondly, the above picture of Archbishop Muller with a Lutheran "bishop" is disturbing. St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Alphonsus Liguouri, and every moral theologian of note clearly teaches that active participation in non-Catholic worship by a Catholic, especially a cleric, is against Divine Law, and is the gravest of matter. Note, they state that it is against Divine Law which in no way can be excused. These joint prayer sessions, joint blessing, and exchanging of pulpit services, are objectively mortally sinful and must be stopped lest the wrath of God come down upon us. Our Lord is patient with sins of the flesh...but when it comes to sins involving worship, His wrath flares more immediately.
DarthJ
3 months ago
The picture shown is Archbishop Muller, now head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Inquisition), having a joint "blessing" with a Lutheran "priest." How he did this when the Lutherans have an invalid Priesthood is beyond me. The idea of a Lutheran "Rite" is as absurd and contradictory as it sounds. But Heaven forbid the SSPX be recognized as being within the Church.
andrew
3 months ago
The cast is set and God will do the rest. Fractures in a living body are bound to unify and I pray it happens this year.
abey
3 months ago
The negative reaction of some of the Lutheran circles is not to a worry, but the reaction of the society of St. PIUS X is a concern, for it concerns Biblical prophecy that which the parent Church lacks today to its various problems & confusions is to know that Jesus Christ Himself is the Spirit of Prophecy, which is the testimony, for the strength to the standing of the Church rests on this.
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem
3 months ago
History repeats itself. The Polytheists of the Ancient times forges into unity to profess 'Monotheists' of the Semitic Religions.This unity is attributed to David and dis integrity of the Nation begins with Solomon, despite his high profile wisdom. Catholic Church and Christianity being the off shoot of Semitic religions, had a tremendous emphasis on unity in the structure, culture, faith and morals of the Church which was attributed to Jesus spiritually and emperor Constantine politically. whatever be the historical evolution, the schism and division of the " one holy apostolic Church' paved way for intrusion of Islam into the heartland of Christianity. The god of individualism of the 19th c. unraveled the core of man in term of 'personal liberty', interpreting the Bible, tradition, faith and morals to suit one's end. It is here we stand at the low alter ( not liturgy) of homo-sexual ism, Equivalency, abortion, euthanasia, terrorism, fanaticism and the very survival of the Christianity itself. It is only but logical that an " internal profession of faith in one God" be expressed in the external " unity" of faith in the Catholic Church. in the previous year of the 'Unity Week', the leaders of the Christian denominations were presenting a " Rainbow Church" for which I commented that " in those seven colors came together, it would have been such a marvelous light radiating " pure white" of the Resurrected Church. I wish, a true conversion among the churches like St.Paul himself for a " Home Coming".
Mathew Thankachen O.Praem

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