October 22, 2021 - Optional Memorial of St. John Paul II, pope
Friday, 29th Week in Ordinary Time
Rom 7:18-25a
Ps 119
Lk 12:54-59
Brothers and sisters:
I know that good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh. The willing is ready at hand, but doing the good is not. For I do not do the good I want, but I do the evil I do not want. Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. So, then, I discover the principle that when I want to do right, evil is at hand. For I take delight in the law of God, in my inner self, but I see in my members another principle at war with the law of my mind, taking me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. Miserable one that I am! Who will deliver me from this mortal body? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
St. Paul wonderfully describes the conflict that exists in man: the interior man is continually in conflict with the exterior; the spirit battles against the flesh. Man cannot save himself and thus he implores the help of a savior. Jesus Christ, our Lord, brought about that redemption that was impossible for man, therefore thanksgiving springs spontaneously from the Apostle’s whole being: “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!”
Neither the Old Testament’s law nor the Church’s precepts alone can bring about salvation, therefore a Christian reading of Psalm 119 teaches us to ask God directly that he help us, through Christ our Lord: “Teach me wisdom and knowledge… You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. … Let your kindness comfort me… Let your compassion come to me that I may live… I am yours; save me”.
Indeed, the responsorial psalm says:
Teach me wisdom and knowledge, for in your commands I trust. You are good and bountiful; teach me your statutes. Let your kindness comfort me according to your promise to your servants. Let your compassion come to me that I may live, for your law is my delight. Never will I forget your precepts, for through them you give me life. I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts.
Even though he is unable to save himself by himself and divided interiorly, man is endowed with intelligence and freedom. In the Gospel, Jesus reproaches his listeners by questioning them and making them become aware of their hypocrisy. They are not stupid and unable to think! “You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right?” Why then division, enmity, and conflict? Why is it impossible to find accord with those who don't think like us? Why must brothers fight amongst themselves?
Jesus said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west you say immediately that it is going to rain–and so it does; and when you notice that the wind is blowing from the south you say that it is going to be hot–and so it is. You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of the earth and the sky; why do you not know how to interpret the present time? “Why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? If you are to go with your opponent before a magistrate, make an effort to settle the matter on the way; otherwise your opponent will turn you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the constable, and the constable throw you into prison. I say to you, you will not be released until you have paid the last penny.”
Dialogue between Christians of different denominations, which is itself an indispensable form of authentic mission, begs an intelligence and aptitude for right judgment. Accord and exchange of spiritual gifts is always possible, as long as one does not fall into sterility or foolish irenicism.
On the day in which it is possible to liturgically celebrate the memorial of Saint John Paul II, a tireless missionary and a great promoter of Christian unity, it is appropriate to reread one of his homilies, made during his longest apostolic pilgrimage through Bangladesh, Singapore, Fiji, New Zealand, Australia and the Seychelles Islands. In Christchurch, New Zealand, on November 24, 1986, an ecumenical celebration was held in the Catholic cathedral, in which the Pope gave the homily that follows:
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brethren. Amen. (Gal 6:18)
Dear Brothers and Sisters, dear Friends,
My thanks to you for coming to take part in this act of prayer; how fitting that it should be my first encounter with the Christian people in Christchurch. With great pleasure I join with leaders of the Catholic Church and other Christian Communions in New Zealand […]. I rejoice at this occasion which speaks so vividly of the desire of New Zealand Christians, especially of you who are present here today, for that unity which our Lord wills for his followers.
New Zealand has always been a place of new beginnings. Your ancestors came here to make a better life in a land of opportunity. You yourselves have faced problems with vigor and have tried to find solutions. In this spirit you have faced the divisions among Christians. You have entered into dialogue, collaborated in projects for justice, peace and human well-being, and you have sought to devise suitable means to enable the Christian Churches and Ecclesial Communities to work and pray together for full unity. Jesus Christ came to “gather into one the children of God who are scattered abroad”. This is the design of God - that the human family should be one.
It was Christ’s work on the Cross to bring together the broken fragments of humanity. The Church was founded by Christ as an instrument for this purpose. It is precisely in the Church that, through the Holy Spirit, the recomposition of broken humanity is to be carried on. The Church herself is the beginning of the incorporation of all peoples into Jesus Christ as one Lord, and she is the sign of God’s whole purpose. She is united in herself in order to bring about the unity, peace, and reconciliation which are a foretaste of the Kingdom of God.
Such unity can only be the gift of God. It is much more than a federation, a working arrangement, a means of enabling the followers of Jesus Christ to do certain things together. “The promise we have from God is the promise of the unity which is the essence of himself” (S. Ignatii Antiocheni Ad Trallianos). It is a unity which is nothing less than a sharing in that communion which is the inner life of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is a unity in the profession of the apostolic faith. It is a unity in that sacramental life whereby Jesus Christ touches human lives with his salvation and maintains the communion of believers in one visible body. It is also a unity with the visible teaching authority of the Church, which in God’s design necessarily expresses her inner communion. Only a deeply interior yet fully visible unity such as this could be adequate for Christ’s mission to knit together the connective tissue of humanity torn apart by sin.
As we meet here today we can rejoice that despite the still serious divisions between us, a real communion, limited though it is, does bind us together. We can call one another brothers and sisters, for we call on Jesus Christ as our one Lord, are baptized in his name, and already share many of his saving gifts. Yet in honesty we also have to acknowledge that real differences between us make our communion incomplete. It is a communion that still falls short of “that unity which Jesus Christ wanted to bestow on all those to whom he has given new birth in one body” (Unitatis Redintegratio, 3). This is the measure of our ecumenical task. It is this which calls forth our persevering efforts of theological dialogue. Since the unity which Christ will for his Church is a unity in faith, we cannot settle for less. We must work for it by the process of honest dialogue sustained by prayer, without compromising the truth; by facing up to the demands of the teachings of Jesus Christ; and by refusing to settle for a minimal form of Christianity, always seeking to do the truth in love. (cf. Eph 4:15).
Here in New Zealand, you have experienced the strength of the commitment which the Catholic Church brings to the ecumenical movement, a commitment which I assure you is irreversible. At the same time I am aware that the Catholic participation makes new demands of the other Churches and Ecclesial Communities taking part in the ecumenical movement. For we come to it with those Catholic principles of ecumenism formulated in the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism. We are convinced that the goal is not simply partnership; it is nothing less than the fullness of communion in a visible, organic unity. The ecumenical way cannot be one of reduction. It is rather a journey of growth into the fullness of Christ, the fullness of unity. It is a journey in which the Churches and Ecclesial Communities taking part must have a genuine respect for one another and for their gifts and traditions, helping each other towards that unity in faith which alone can enable us to be one Church and to share in one Eucharist.
This is the goal of our dialogue and theological reflection, our common study of the Scripture, our collaboration in upholding justice and peace and serving human needs, our common witness, and our prayer together.
It is a goal which cannot be reached without fervent prayer, penance, and conversion of heart. For in the end it is not we who will bring about the unity of all Christians; we can only prepare ourselves to cooperate with what God is doing in order to bring it about.
Because so much has been done here in New Zealand to bring Christians together, and because there is such a strong desire for closer communion, I have taken the occasion of our prayer, and the dedication of the Chapel of Unity in this Cathedral, to speak to you about some central issues of the ecumenical task. Be strong and faithful in giving your best energies to it. Knowing that he who has begun this good work can “bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ”. (Phil 1:6) Amen.