Thursday, November 5 : Benedict XVI
[In Catholic-Orthodox relations] theological research, which must address complex questions and identify solutions that are not reductive, is a grave commitment that we cannot evade. If it is true that the Lord appeals forcefully to his disciples to build unity in charity and in truth; if it is true that the ecumenical appeal is a pressing invitation to rebuild among all Christians the unity, in reconciliation and peace, that has been seriously damaged; if we cannot deny that division makes less effective that most holy cause of preaching the Gospel to every creature (Mk 16,15), how can we shirk from the task of examining our differences clearly and with good will, facing them with the deep conviction that they should be resolved? The unity that we seek is neither absorption nor fusion but respect for the multiform fullness of the Church, which must always be, in conformity with the desire of her Founder, Jesus Christ, «one, holy, catholic and apostolic». This recommendation finds full resonance in the intangible profession of faith of all Christians, the Creed worked out by the Fathers of the Ecumenical Councils of Nicea and Constantinople. The Vatican Council clearly recognized the treasure that the East possesses and from which the West “has taken many things”…; it urged the faithful not to forget all the suffering the East had to bear to preserve its faith…; it has encouraged people to consider the East and the West as mosaic pieces that together make up the resplendent face of the Pantocrator, the Christ who is Lord of all (Rv 15,3), whose hand blessed the whole world, the whole Oikoumene. The Council went even further, saying: “It is hardly surprising, then, if sometimes one tradition has come nearer to a full appreciation of some aspects of a mystery of revelation than the other, or has expressed them better. In such cases, these various theological formulations are often to be considered complementary rather than conflicting” (Unitatis Redintegratio, n. 17).
maronite readings – rosary,team
maronite readings – rosary,team
