“In his hands we are one” –  Ezekiel 37:17

Introduction
Just as we gather in this beautiful Church dedicated to Christ, so prominently situated between two key roads that lead to Rathgar village; so too, the ecumenical movement finds itself situated between two centenaries. The 100^th anniversary of the Prayer for Christian Unity which we celebrated in 2008, and the centenary of the Edinburgh Missionary Conference which we will mark in 2010. That event is regarded by many as the birth of the ecumenical Movement. These centenaries can be summarised in two key words:  Prayer and Mission.

The Week of Prayer

Today the cooperation between Anglicans, Protestants, Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, parishes and communities in preparing for and celebrating the week of prayer has become familiar practice. This simple fact is, in itself  strong evidence for the effectiveness of prayer for unity. It gives us every right to speak about the history of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity as one of success. Christians today can say with joy and gratitude that “what unites us is much greater than what divides us.”

The gifted and somewhat colourful French theologian and ecumenist the late Jean-Marie Tillard often asked the following question during bilateral dialogues: ‘Where are we and where are we going’?  May I suggest it is not a bad question to ask in the course of any worthwhile project?  It is certainly an appropriate one on the eve of an ecumenical centenary celebration. Perhaps in answer to the first part of the question in relation to the ecumenical movement we can say that we have come a long way. The last forty years has been a fertile period of theological ecumenical work, the forging of deep and lasting friendships and an openness not present before. The ecumenical Movement has changed us. In the last 40 years we have moved from a situation of minimal contact and social politeness to one where cooperation, mutual respect and recognition are the norm. What has been achieved has been an extraordinary comfort with one another…..and that is the area of GRACE. There is an authentic desire for unity through prayer, theological study, and friendship.

There is a sense today, however, that the conversations have somewhat faltered, the sustainable enthusiasm of those heady early days following the Council is gone and there is an increasing pessimism. The Lord is calling us to unity, and there is no doubt that He has blessed abundantly the efforts of those of his children who have dedicated themselves to promoting this “noble goal.” However, we make a mistake if we think of ecumenical work as fundamentally about negotiations, trying to come to a common position. We make a category error if we start with or focus primarily upon our relationship with each other, as though unity was something that we could bring about by ourselves if only we worked hard enough and convinced enough people.

The right way to approach ecumenism is as a common exercise in placing ourselves before the mysteries of the faith. We pray together, eat together, drink scotch together, we articulate our own faith to each other, and we look for the presence of Christ in each other.  Through this process, we often discover the dialogue partner as one who authentically is trying to follow Christ, one who loves God, one who tries to live open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. In our dialogues and our relations with other Christian churches and people, we learn, first of all, that they belong to Christ.  And if they belong to Christ, well, then they also belong to us. It is what John Paul II called, ‘the discovery of brotherhood among Christians.’ 

In the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church we are reminded that all Christians are called to press forward on their earthly pilgrimage without letting themselves be overwhelmed by difficulties and afflictions.  This is only possible through God’s Spirit who can inspire new fervour and courage.  In past decades political realities impinged significantly on the ecumenical scene here and the focus centred around the four “mainline” churches. Presently, in Ireland we are experiencing change, with the significant growth of the Orthodox Churches, minority ethnic churches and other new Pentecostal communities introduced to these shores by the “new Irish”, the thousands of migrant workers mainly from Eastern Europe and Africa who made their home here during the years of economic growth. These developments have altered considerably the ecumenical landscape in Ireland.

On the eve of his suffering and death, Jesus prayed ‘that they may all be one. As you, Father are in  me and I in you, may they also be one in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn 17:21).  It is significant that Jesus did not primarily express his desire for unity in a teaching or in a commandment to his disciples, but in a prayer to his Father. Unity is a gift from above, stemming from and growing toward loving communion with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Christian prayer for unity is a humble but faithful sharing in the prayer of Jesus, who promised that any prayer in His name would be heard by the Father.

That is what we are here today: to pray for that unity, the full communion of all the baptized, in the way and at the time that the Lord, through the work of the Holy Spirit, will arrange. Why?The answer is clear, our disunity hinders people who seek unity and hope in our world, from looking toward Jesus, our peace, as a source of unity. We must be the Church evangelising.  Pope Paul VI so clearly stated in his much acclaimed Apostolic Exhortation On Evangelization in the Modern World: “Evangelising is, in fact, the grace and vocation proper to the Church, her deepest identity.  She exists to evangelize….”

Preaching a divided Christ is profoundly damaging as the missioners who participated in the Edinburgh Conference 100 years ago testified to.  Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism put it forcefully: “Christ the Lord founded one church only; division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world and damages the holy cause of preaching the Gospel”.
One of the significant dangers I see today is the acceptance among our peoples that the division between and amongst Christians is not a scandal but normative, when in fact it constitutes a great scandal. It is a scandal to believers and an obstacle to unbelievers.  Evangelisation means bringing the Good News into all strata of humanity, and through its influence transforming humanity from within and making it new.”

Since the Second Vatican Council, the understanding of the Church as communion, the articulation of the mission of the church as evangelisation, and the ecumenical movement have all been dynamic components interacting to carry out the will of Christ as expressed in the seventh chapter of John’s Gospel.  Pope John Paul II in his Encyclical on Ecumenism Ut Unum Sint, quotes from the Letter to the Catholic Bishops on Some Aspects of the Church Understood as Communion:
The Church is not a reality closed in on herself. Rather she is permanently open to the missionary and ecumenical endeavour, for she is sent to the world to announce and witness, to make present and spread the mystery of communion which is essential to her, and to gather all people and all things into Christ, so as to be for all an “inseparable sacrament of unity.”

Can we not conclude therefore, that the purpose of ecumenism and evangelisation are the same: that all be one in Christ? Since evangelisation embraces all that the Church does, and all the Church’s activity must be in accord with her mission, would it not also be correct to say that the ecumenical endeavour is an activity integral to fulfilling the Church’s mission in and to the world? The Council documents, recent Bishops of Rome, and Pope Benedict have all emphasised that a people divided are an impediment to evangelisation, and that if we are going to proclaim the Gospel to the world, we must be committed to working for the reconciliation between Christians.

Very simply, evangelisation is the mission of the Church. Ecumenism is a movement within the Church.  Ultimately we are dealing with the matter of salvation. God is the Saviour of the world through his Son Jesus Christ, who died for all.
Working Together –

The Lund Principle

As mentioned earlier, the formal ecumenical movement traces its beginnings amongst the protestant missionaries who gathered for the World Missionary Conference held at Edinburgh in 1910.  Although there had been similar conferences before, the Edinburgh Conference was missionary and ecumenical in fact and intent. Pastors from afar expressed their frustration and concern that they were preaching a divided Lord. Two important ecumenical organs emerged from that conference; Life and Works and Faith and Order which became the backbone of the ecumenical movement for the next 40 years. The Life and work movement saw the churches working together for peace and justice and did extraordinary work in formulating an effective response to the economic, moral and social issues in the immediate aftermath of WWI. The Faith and Order Movement (F&O) serves the Churches by leading them into theological dialogue as a means of overcoming obstacles to and opening up ways towards the manifestation of their unity.

In August 1952 the third world conference on F&O, meeting in Lund, Sweden agreed on the text “A Word to the Churches”. One sentence asked: “Should not our Churches ask themselves whether they are showing sufficient eagerness to enter into conversation with other churches, and whether they (the Churches) should not act together in all matters except those in which deep differences of conviction compel them to act separately?” The second part of that question became known subsequently as the Lund Principle. This principle has become a favourite of many an ecumenical orator often put out there as an exhortation, when in fact it is a question to be answered. The original intent of the drafters was that this principle should be applied to the on-going daily life of the churches.

So I raise the question:  Is there not a case to be made for the leaders of the Christian Churches at world, regional and local levels to engage in a more creative and imaginative way together. For example, could not the Bishop of Rome, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the President of the Lutheran World Federation , the Secretary General of the WCC, the ecumenical Patriarch and other leaders together issue joint statements addressing the challenges of our day, be  it world poverty, global warming, war, peace, world hunger? How more credible the Christian message and witness to Christ and the Gospel would be! At regional and national levels how more effective the Christian Churches could be in influencing social and legislative policy, bringing to bear the message of Christ and the values of the Gospel to the market square if they acted and preached as one except in those (cases) in which deep differences of conviction compel to act separately. Here in our own city the frightening and disturbing levels of gun crime and the increase in gang related murders challenge us as a society. Challenge our values, our understanding and acceptance of human life as sacred. It challenge our very way of life as a people. It challenges our churches and faith communities.

The global economic recession which we are now experiencing with daily announcement of job losses, repossession of homes will bring great hardship to many families. Is there something we as churches can do together in our dioceses and in our parishes to make an effective response? The emphasis here is on doing or in the words of youth slang: Can we not only talk the talk but also walk the walk?

In the introduction to this years’ theme, the international preparatory group remind us that for the prophet Ezekiel unity is not simply the joining of previously divided groups; it is rather a new creation, the birth of a new people which should be a sign of hope to other peoples and indeed of humanity.”

Ezekiel’s words give hope that God will gather God’s people again into one, calling them God’s own, and blessing them. A new ultimate hope is born: that God will create a new world.

The most striking aspect of Ezekiel the prophet is the constant and consistent use of “I”; it is Yahweh himself who speaks throughout. In choosing this device, the prophet emphasises the power of the divine word. “I the Lord have  spoken”; “I will take the people of Israel”; “I will make them one nation”; “I will save them from all apostasies”; “I will be their God and they will be my people.”

The standard prophetic declaration ‘Thus says the Lord’ indicates the resolute nature of the message. If God says it, regardless of how incredible it might appear it will surely happen. This decisiveness is underscored elsewhere in Ezekiel’s sermon “I have promised, and I will do it.” Just as the metaphor of the two sticks rejoined as one represent the northern and southern kingdoms united as in the days of David and Solomon, so its re-establishment might have led the people to believe in the absolute power of God.  Whatever God promises it will come to pass. It is God who promises, the people are helpless to do anything. The passage testifies to God’s absolute and unconditional control over destruction and restoration.

Most, if not all here today will be familiar with Ezekiel’s first prophecy of the dry bones which come to life through the action of God’s spirit. In the reading from the Old Testament which we have heard today and forms the theme for our gathering Christians will see in the this second prophecy of the two sticks joined together a prefiguration of what Christ will bring about from the pieces of wood which form the cross, namely new life which comes through conquering death in obedience to God’s salvific will. Jesus reconciles us to God; with this, humanity is infused with new hope.

The preparatory group in reflecting on the implications of this remind us that “In spite of our sinfulness, in spite of our violence and wars, in spite of the disparity between rich and poor, in spite of our abuse of creation, in spite of disease and suffering, in spite of discrimination, and in spite of our disunity and divisions, Jesus Christ – through his outstretched hands on the cross – embraces all of creation and offers us God’s shalom. In his hands we are one, as we are drawn to him who is lifted up on the cross.”

We must keep in mind that the work of ecumenism is the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of evangelisation is the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of interreligious relations is the work of the Holy Spirit. Addressing a delegation from the Orthodox Church, Pope Benedict stressed that in order to advance along the path of unity we must “ask the Lord’s help……because unity is above all a gift of God.” There is one Spirit who accomplishes all in all, just as there is one Lord and saviour, Jesus Christ, and one God who is father of all. AMEN.