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Saint Vincent de Paul
Roman Catholic Church
979 Avenue C -
Bayonne, New Jersey 07002
(201) 436-2222 Fax:(201) 437-5235
Founded 1894
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[Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults] [Pope Benedict XVI]
  Pope
Benedict XVI
Apostolic Journey to the United States
April 15 - 20, 2008
Prepared text as released by the Vatican of
Pope Benedict’s talk at the ecumenical gathering at St. Joseph’s Church in
New York:
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
My heart abounds with gratitude to Almighty God - “the Father of all, who
is over all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:6) - for this blessed
opportunity to gather with you this evening in prayer. I thank Bishop
Dennis Sullivan for his cordial welcome, and I warmly greet all those in
attendance representing Christian communities throughout the United
States. May the peace of our Lord and Savior be with you all!
Through you, I express my sincere appreciation for the invaluable work of
all those engaged in ecumenism: the National Council of Churches,
Christian Churches Together, the Catholic Bishops’ Secretariat for
Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and many others. The contribution
of Christians in the United States to the ecumenical movement is felt
throughout the world. I encourage all of you to persevere, always relying
on the grace of the risen Christ whom we strive to serve by bringing about
“the obedience of faith for the sake of his name” (Rom 1:5).
We have just listened to the scriptural passage in which Paul - a
“prisoner for the Lord” - delivers his ardent appeal to the members of the
Christian community at Ephesus. “I beg you,” he writes, “to lead a life
worthy of the calling to which you have been called … eager to maintain
the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Eph 4:1-3). Then, after his
impassioned litany of unity, Paul reminds his hearers that Jesus, having
ascended into heaven, has bestowed upon men and women all the gifts
necessary for building up the Body of Christ (cf. Eph 4:11-13).
Paul’s exhortation resounds with no less vigor today. His words instill in
us the confidence that the Lord will never abandon us in our quest for
unity. They also call us to live in a way that bears witness to the “one
heart and mind” (Acts 4:32), which has always been the distinguishing
trait of Christian koinonia (cf. Acts 2:42), and the force drawing others
to join the community of believers so that they too might come to share in
the “unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8; cf. Acts 2:47; 5:14).
Globalization has humanity poised between two poles. On the one hand,
there is a growing sense of interconnectedness and interdependency between
peoples even when - geographically and culturally speaking - they are far
apart. This new situation offers the potential for enhancing a sense of
global solidarity and shared responsibility for the well-being of mankind.
On the other hand, we cannot deny that the rapid changes occurring in our
world also present some disturbing signs of fragmentation and a retreat
into individualism. The expanding use of electronic communications has in
some cases paradoxically resulted in greater isolation. Many people -
including the young - are seeking therefore more authentic forms of
community. Also of grave concern is the spread of a secularist ideology
that undermines or even rejects transcendent truth. The very possibility
of divine revelation, and therefore of Christian faith, is often placed
into question by cultural trends widely present in academia, the mass
media and public debate. For these reasons, a faithful witness to the
Gospel is as urgent as ever. Christians are challenged to give a clear
account of the hope that they hold (cf. 1 Pet 3:15).
Too often those who are not Christians, as they observe the splintering of
Christian communities, are understandably confused about the Gospel
message itself. Fundamental Christian beliefs and practices are sometimes
changed within communities by so-called “prophetic actions” that are based
on a hermeneutic not always consonant with the datum of Scripture and
Tradition. Communities consequently give up the attempt to act as a
unified body, choosing instead to function according to the idea of “local
options”. Somewhere in this process the need for diachronic koinonia -
communion with the Church in every age - is lost, just at the time when
the world is losing its bearings and needs a persuasive common witness to
the saving power of the Gospel (cf. Rom 1:18-23).
Faced with these difficulties, we must first recall that the unity of the
Church flows from the perfect oneness of the Trinitarian God. In John’s
Gospel, we are told that Jesus prayed to his Father that his disciples
might be one, “just as you are in me and I am in you” (Jn 17:21). This
passage reflects the unwavering conviction of the early Christian
community that its unity was both caused by, and is reflective of, the
unity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This, in turn, suggests that
the internal cohesion of believers was based on the sound integrity of
their doctrinal confession (cf. 1 Tim 1:3-11). Throughout the New
Testament, we find that the Apostles were repeatedly called to give an
account for their faith to both Gentiles (cf. Acts 17:16-34) and Jews (cf.
Acts 4:5-22; 5:27-42). The core of their argument was always the
historical fact of Jesus’s bodily resurrection from the tomb (Acts 2:24,
32; 3:15; 4:10; 5:30; 10:40; 13:30). The ultimate effectiveness of their
preaching did not depend on “lofty words” or “human wisdom” (1 Cor 2:13),
but rather on the work of the Spirit (Eph 3:5) who confirmed the
authoritative witness of the Apostles (cf. 1 Cor 15:1-11). The nucleus of
Paul’s preaching and that of the early Church was none other than Jesus
Christ, and “him crucified” (1 Cor 2:2). But this proclamation had to be
guaranteed by the purity of normative doctrine expressed in creedal
formulae - symbola - which articulated the essence of the Christian faith
and constituted the foundation for the unity of the baptized (cf. 1 Cor
15:3-5; Gal 1:6-9; Unitatis Redintegratio, 2).
My dear friends, the power of the kerygma has lost none of its internal
dynamism. Yet we must ask ourselves whether its full force has not been
attenuated by a relativistic approach to Christian doctrine similar to
that found in secular ideologies, which, in alleging that science alone is
“objective”, relegate religion entirely to the subjective sphere of
individual feeling. Scientific discoveries, and their application through
human ingenuity, undoubtedly offer new possibilities for the betterment of
humankind. This does not mean, however, that the “knowable” is limited to
the empirically verifiable, nor religion restricted to the shifting realm
of “personal experience”.
For Christians to accept this faulty line of reasoning would lead to the
notion that there is little need to emphasize objective truth in the
presentation of the Christian faith, for one need but follow his or her
own conscience and choose a community that best suits his or her
individual tastes. The result is seen in the continual proliferation of
communities which often eschew institutional structures and minimize the
importance of doctrinal content for Christian living.
Even within the ecumenical movement, Christians may be reluctant to assert
the role of doctrine for fear that it would only exacerbate rather than
heal the wounds of division. Yet a clear, convincing testimony to the
salvation wrought for us in Christ Jesus has to be based upon the notion
of normative apostolic teaching: a teaching which indeed underlies the
inspired word of God and sustains the sacramental life of Christians
today.
Only by “holding fast” to sound teaching (2 Thess 2:15; cf. Rev 2:12-29)
will we be able to respond to the challenges that confront us in an
evolving world. Only in this way will we give unambiguous testimony to the
truth of the Gospel and its moral teaching. This is the message which the
world is waiting to hear from us. Like the early Christians, we have a
responsibility to give transparent witness to the “reasons for our hope”,
so that the eyes of all men and women of goodwill may be opened to see
that God has shown us his face (cf. 2 Cor 3:12-18) and granted us access
to his divine life through Jesus Christ. He alone is our hope! God has
revealed his love for all peoples through the mystery of his Son’s passion
and death, and has called us to proclaim that he is indeed risen, has
taken his place at the right hand of the Father, and “will come again in
glory to judge the living and the dead” (Nicene Creed).
May the word of God we have heard this evening inflame our hearts with
hope on the path to unity (cf. Lk 24:32). May this prayer service
exemplify the centrality of prayer in the ecumenical movement (cf.
Unitatis Redintegratio, 8); for without it, ecumenical structures,
institutions and programs would be deprived of their heart and soul. Let
us give thanks to Almighty God for the progress that has been made through
the work of his Spirit, as we acknowledge with gratitude the personal
sacrifices made by so many present and by those who have gone before us.
By following in their footsteps, and by placing our trust in God alone, I
am confident that - to borrow the words of Father Paul Wattson - we will
achieve the “oneness of hope, oneness of faith, and oneness of love” that
alone will convince the world that Jesus Christ is the one sent by the
Father for the salvation of all.
I thank you all. |