May they be one

The great ecumenist and monastic, Brother Roger Schütz of Taize, once prayed:
"O God the Father of all,
you ask every one of us to spread love
and reconciliation where people are divided.
You open this way for us,
so that the wounded body of Jesus Christ,
your church, may be leaven
of communion for the poor of the earth
and in the whole human family."

Our fundamental call in our common Baptism as disciples of Christ is one of unity.  Jesus prayed this to his heavenly Father:  "that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me" (John 17:21).  Our most profound witness to our discipleship is to be found in our unity with God, others, and self.  God was, is, and shall always be relational rather than obscured or removed from our experience of who God is.  The most blessed Trinity is the core doctrine of Christian faith that models for us and instructs us in holy relationships.  Indeed, the Communion of Synodal Catholic Churches (CSCC) chooses to re-embrace the Holy Trinity as our pathway for life together and with others.  Our synodal polity and practice are given full life through our contemplation of the unique yet interdependent Persons of our Godhead.  Each expression of the Trinity teaches us the profundity of divine love for all and inspires us repeatedly to persevere in this way of love we have discovered together in our communion.

Christianity's greatest blessing is her diversity of expression.  Sadly, for many Christians though, this sacred gift of diversity has become a distraction that bleeds us of energy for authentic Gospel living.  Denominational spats, ego-based schisms, and the unrelenting "us and them" diatribes only serve to give scandal rather than bear witness to the prayer of Jesus.  It is lamentable to behold the sacred Body of Christ so wounded, as well as the part that we may have played in this malady of faith.

As members of the Communion of Synodal Catholic Churches we seek to go back behind the divisions of the sixteenth century and to rediscover the great Catholic Tradition.  We seek to be attentive to the treasures of faith of the Eastern Church.  We never desire to break fellowship with anyone or to be a symbol of repudiation for those who transmitted the faith to us.  We seek to be men and women of communion, overcoming  and detesting antagonism or rivalry between persons or households of faith.  Our unity with one another and the entire Body of Christ is intensified by our charity and hope as Christ has shown us: "may all be one!"

Peace and every blessing, in XP!

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