In Nomine Patris....

I want to take a short break from a series of posts I've been writing lately, dealing with atheism, and interject some ideas and food for thought on another topic. I am thinking about ecumenism and about the sign of the Cross.

Catholics and Protestants these days are talking more and more about ecumenism. That's a good thing. I think we all realize that Christianity was never meant to be divided. Think about verses in Sacred Scripture like "not a bone of it shall be broken," and the statement that Christ's garment was seamless. So ecumenism basically makes me happy, and I'm glad to see more of it. But it needs to be understood correctly, it needs to be treated carefully, and it needs to be more than mere talk.

First of all, it is extremely important that we are honest to each other and to our own beliefs and principles as well. As a Catholic I would naturally love to see more people believe the teachings of the Catholic Church, but I don't want you or anybody throwing their brains and beliefs out the window for the sake of ecumenism, any more than I intend to do so. If a person can accept certain beliefs or practices, then by all means accept them. But if they are unacceptable to your conscience, then don't. I'd far rather see an honest Protestant than a dishonest Catholic, and vice versa. And while I would love more people to understand that the Catholic Church is nothing at all like the pagan, superstitious, evil religion that far too many people think it to be, if you really think that something we do or think is truly wrong, then you must not accept it in the name of tolerance. Ecumenism that denies truth, absolutes, conscience, and good theology is utterly pointless. So treat it carefully.

But ecumenism starts with understanding and Charity. It's equally pointless to go on thinking that the other person is superstitious or heretical when you don't really understand their beliefs. And Charity demands (within certain reasonable limits) that we try to understand the beliefs of our brothers and sisters. Understand them, mind you, not necessarily agree with them. But at least we might learn where they are coming from, and that their faith and practices may not be as shocking as we once imagined. The truth will set us free, we are told, and ecumenism that is not founded on truth and honesty will get nowhere. As long as we retain untrue impressions of another person or group, our ecumenical strivings will be constantly foiled.

Still, understanding is only a starting point. If that understanding is not put into practice of some kind, we will find that we are not as close to achieving unity as we thought. I have an idea that might help us get a little further down that road.

First though, let me pause, and mention an example of a common misunderstanding that divides Christians. I am thinking of the Sign of the Cross. Catholics make this Sign all the time. It has been a common practice among Christians since the early days of the Church, way before Constantine and the supposed (but completely imaginary) "paganization" of Christianity. But it arouses great ire and indignation among certain Protestants, particularly those of a more Fundamentalist bent. It is seen as a superstition, as an action incompatible with true Faith. Of course, there might be a reason for this. You might have seen it used at one too many ball games. Or as a joke. Or something children do in movies with no real comprehension of its meaning. You know, "Cross my heart and hope to die," says the adorable little six year old. Cute, but probably not the best form of apologetics. Still, the old Latin legal dictum continues to apply: abusus non tollit usus. The abuse of a thing does not preclude its proper use.

But, really, this is by no means the hardest Catholic practice to get one's head around. In fact, when one steps past the basic hand-me-down prejudices, it becomes evident that there is absolutely no reason to object to it at all. None.

Let's take a look. What is the Sign of the Cross? It consists of two parts: the actual tracing of the pattern of the Cross upon one's person, and the saying of the words "In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen." Now, which part of this is offensive? Surely not the Cross. Surely not the Trinitarian Name of our God. Really. Think about it. Not only is it not bad, or merely perhaps OK, but it is really and truly, very intensely, powerfully, actually Good. Just a little thought shows that this, in fact, is one Catholic practice that really has absolutely nothing about it that ought to offend Protestant sensibilities.

When made with understanding and attention the Sign of the Cross is powerful, meaningful, and effective. It involves faith--faith in the Blessed Trinity and faith in the Incarnation. It also makes us aware that our Redemption and our Hope are inextricably connected with what happened on Golgotha two thousand years ago. By making it we put our trust in God and in the power of the Cross, dedicate ourselves to Him, and accept the Cross in our own lives. It is a blessing, consecration, protection, and a public witness to our Faith. It has been in common use since the early days of the Church.

The Cross is the Sign of Christians.

This brings me back to my idea. Maybe we not only can come to better understand and love one another, but maybe we can also learn from each other. Perhaps we can even adopt some of each others practices that are clearly in keeping with our own faith and may enrich it. I can think of a big one for Catholics: the study of Sacred Scripture. Of course countless monks, nuns, priests, and popes have studied and breathed the very air of Sacred Scripture for nearly two thousand years now, but the laity has sadly often not taken full advantage of this practice. Popes of the last hundred years have been encouraging Bible study among the laity, but it is only now beginning to take root. And, as for Protestants, I would like to point out that there is an incredible wealth of tradition, prayers, hymns, literature, theology, Biblical interpretation, philosophy and practices to be gleaned from the Catholic Church. The Protestant churches, in focusing on their own tradition, have simply abandoned nearly a millennium and a half of rich pre-Reformation Christianity. There is much to be learned here. Perhaps the Book of Christian Prayer would be a good starting point. With the exception of the optional observance of certain feast days, there is virtually nothing in this wonderfully unifying and rich day by day celebration of prayers, Psalms, hymns, canticles and Scripture readings that cannot be accepted by Protestants. Perhaps adopting the Sign of the Cross in one's prayers and daily practices would also be another enriching point of common ground.

And so my prayer and hope is that through Divine Charity, understanding, and the humble willingness to learn from each other, we may at last see ecumenical attempts begin to bear the beautiful fruit of unity among all who hold the Name of Christ.

In Nomine Patris, et Filii, et Spiritus Sancti, Amen.