April 17, 2011 – Catechism 817-819

I wonder if people will be surprised with reading these few paragraphs.  It mentions the disagreements in the Early Church which I have talked about in watching a couple of movies and reading St. Paul’s letter to the Corinthians.  But it talks about how those did not divide the Church.  It was later when things came about that brought the divides that we see today.  Catholics are called to accept non-Catholic Christians as just that, but Christians nonetheless and pray for them to join the fullness of the faith.  There are many things that we agree on and there are a lot of Truths in their beliefs.  I gave a link to the two documents that are heavily sited in these three paragraphs. 

One thing I did want to mention is the tone that is used when talking about non-Catholic Christians.  It is with love and acceptance for where they are and the understanding that many of these divides happened many years before this generation was born.  Many have been born into a Christian understanding that they are going to find very difficult to leave or divert from.  But there is no blame or talk of damnation here.  That is not what you get sometimes when you hear about the Catholic church being called the whore of Babylon or the Pope being the Anti-Christ.  There are some that believe the Catholic Church is exactly the opposite of what it is.  Still, even in these Christian Churches there are the same agreed upon Truths that we share in unity and pray that we all come together.  It is a saddening thing when I think about the divided Church and the disagreements that started it all.  I do think it is valuable to reflect on, regardless of where you are at.   

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19641121_lumen-gentium_en.html

http://www.vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_decree_19641121_unitatis-redintegratio_en.html

“3. Even in the beginnings of this one and only Church of God there arose certain rifts,(19) which the Apostle strongly condemned.(20) But in subsequent centuries much more serious dissensions made their appearance and quite large communities came to be separated from full communion with the Catholic Church-for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame. The children who are born into these Communities and who grow up believing in Christ cannot be accused of the sin involved in the separation, and the Catholic Church embraces upon them as brothers, with respect and affection. For men who believe in Christ and have been truly baptized are in communion with the Catholic Church even though this communion is imperfect. The differences that exist in varying degrees between them and the Catholic Church-whether in doctrine and sometimes in discipline, or concerning the structure of the Church-do indeed create many obstacles, sometimes serious ones, to full ecclesiastical communion. The ecumenical movement is striving to overcome these obstacles. But even in spite of them it remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body,(21) and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church.(22)

Moreover, some and even very many of the significant elements and endowments which together go to build up and give life to the Church itself, can exist outside the visible boundaries 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, and visible elements too. All of these, which come from Christ and lead back to Christ, belong by right to the one Church of Christ.” Unitatis redintegratio 3 paragraph 1-2