Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home Opinion Letters

Sunday ecumenical services not advisable

by Staff writers
18 March 2007
Reading Time: 2 mins read
A A

A reading of the letter by Chris Davidson in the Catholic Leader of March 11, 2007, indicates that it is high time for (some) Church members to engage in a re-reading of the encyclical by Pope John Paul II, entitled Ut Unum Sint (That They May be One), May, 1995, and of the document known as 1993 Directory for Ecumenism.

The Church indeed desires and pushes for visible unity of the Christian people; division among Christians is a scandalous situation. Jesus himself, at the hour of his Passion, prayed “that they may all be one, even as you Father, are in me, and I in you” (John 17:21) That there is no unity at the present is perhaps not our personal fault, but that it continues to exist says much regarding our unwillingness to make the necessary effort – and it cannot be laid at the feet of the Catholic Church.

In the encyclical mentioned above, Pope John Paul II, has laid out the path that needs to be followed.

Also, as indicated in the Directory, there are a number of pitfalls that must be avoided – and the most insidious is to set up a spirit of relativism whereby we conclude that every ecclesial community is the one Church established by Christ. That is an obvious illogical statement for many cannot all be the one.

The Second Vatican Council in Lumen Gentium, no. 8, states that the Church established by Christ when he said “You are Rock (Peter) and on this rock I will build my church” (Matt 16:18), “subsists in the Catholic Church which is governed by the Successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him”.

We are encouraged to participate in non-sacramental liturgical worship of an ecumenical nature, yet, “Since the celebration of the eucharist on the Lord’s Day is the foundation and centre of the whole liturgical year, Catholics – but those of Eastern churches according to their own law — are obliged to attend Mass on that day and on days of precept. It is not advisable therefore to organize ecumenical services on Sundays, and it must be remembered that even when Catholics in ecumenical services or in services of other churches and ecclesial communities, the obligation of participating at Mass on these days remains” (Directory no. 115)

Further, even the lay faithful as well as ordained ministers should know that “Since eucharistic concelebration is a visible manifestation of full communion in faith, worship and community life of the Catholic Church, expressed by ministers of that Church, it is not permitted to concelebrate the eucharist with ministers of other churches or ecclesial communities” (no. 104, e), and that because “A sacrament is an act of Christ and of the church through the Spirit, its celebration in a concrete community is the sign of reality of its unity in faith, worship and community life. As well as being signs, sacraments – most specially the eucharist – are sources of the unity of the Christian Community and of spiritual life, and are means for building them up. Thus Eucharistic communion is inseparably linked to full ecclesial communion and its visible expression” (my emphases) (no 129).

We must attain unity before we start sharing sacramental action!!!

JEAN-LEON SHANKS

Ormiston, Qld

Related Stories

Why is Our Lady of Guadalupe patroness of the unborn?

Q&A – Prayer, faith and Tammy Peterson

Pope marks 800th anniversary of Nativity scene, asks prayers for the Holy Land

Previous Post

MUSIC AND LYRICS – Romance is in tune

Next Post

Upon this rock a new seminary will be built

Staff writers

Related Posts

Faith

Why is Our Lady of Guadalupe patroness of the unborn?

12 December 2023
Q&A – Prayer, faith and Tammy Peterson
Faith

Q&A – Prayer, faith and Tammy Peterson

11 December 2023
Pope marks 800th anniversary of Nativity scene, asks prayers for the Holy Land
World

Pope marks 800th anniversary of Nativity scene, asks prayers for the Holy Land

11 December 2023
Next Post

Upon this rock a new seminary will be built

Climate change demands action

Archbishop lobbies against cloning bill

Popular News

  • Pope marks 800th anniversary of Nativity scene, asks prayers for the Holy Land

    Pope marks 800th anniversary of Nativity scene, asks prayers for the Holy Land

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Q&A – Prayer, faith and Tammy Peterson

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Eleven saint quotes on the Eucharist for Corpus Christi Sunday

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • What is lust?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Why do we pray to St Anthony when we want to find something?

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping