We can learn so much from other churches

BY ANTHONY GATHAMBIRI IMC

Some of us might have had bad experiences with fellow Christians of other denominations because of what we do as Catholics. We might have been told that we “worship” Mary, that we confess to our priests, that we worship idols (that is, our statues), and so on.

These inaccurate perceptions can serve as an attempt to show that their church is better or purer than ours. Sometimes we are tempted to hit back to defend our faith (or, perhaps, to show how smart we are).

All that can then escalate into a battle about which church is the true one, and whose church is the false one.

This obviously does not aid ecumenism, and even when we encounter criticism from other churches, ecumenism is necessary.

The unity of Christians is not a matter of choice for the Church. In the Upper Room Jesus prayed that his Church be united. He prayed to his Father that it may be one, just as they are one. The Holy Trinity, the source of the Church, is united, and so a Church cannot be different. The Church ought to mirror the Trinity. Ecumenism, therefore, is not a human thing. Christ willed it.

We encounter other denominations at funerals and weddings, or in schools, or we share seats with other Christians in buses or taxis. Some of us come from multidenominational families where members go to different churches.

Although ecumenism is not a word commonly used in the supermarket, in our homes, or in our schools and malls, people live it in their daily lives. They live, work, travel and play together despite their different creeds.

This unity should also be manifested in our worship spaces, so that we can respect the creeds and styles of worship of others without condemning anything. Even if you worship by lifting your legs instead of your hands, no one has a right to criticise you. We are all on a journey to heaven where there will be no different churches.

It becomes possible to deal with the evils that are facing our communities if the churches were united. But how can a divided church heal a divided world? How can it root out social oppressions and create a humane world of peace?

It is necessary that we move out of our “creedal cages”, and that church leaders knock on the doors of their neighbouring pastors to seek unity.

Bl Pope John XIII said that what separates us as believers in Christ is much less than what unites us. Only by looking for the similarities, not dissimilarities, can we accept another person’s church—in scripture, prayers such as the Our Father, the Apostles’ Creed, petitions, invocation of the Holy spirit, common hymns and so on.

We must have the humility to accept that the Holy Spirit can speak through a Calvinist, because the Holy Spirit transcends denominational walls.

We can also learn from one another. Take, for instance, the way the voice is used in preaching the word of God, the use of gesture in giving sermons, the fervent love of the Holy Spirit, the commitment to support their church (a church just mushrooms and its sometimes few members support it passionately), the outreach programmes and so on.

At Mamelodi, Pretoria, a parishioner told me about a gifted evangelical preacher who gave a sermon that moved the people. The conversation left me reflecting what ingredient they put into their sermons to touch the congregation so profoundly. Perhaps we Catholics have something to learn from other churches.

Perhaps Pope Benedict XVI said it best: “If a community is closed off in its own way of thinking or acting, it is a sign that it has moved away from the Holy Spirit.”