The Catechism in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 115: Wounds to Unity (2024)

Episode Date: April 24, 2024

Together, with Fr. Mike, we examine the wounds to the unity of Christ’s one, holy, Catholic, and apostolic Church. The Catechism emphasizes that people on both sides of this division are to blame for this broken unity. God did not intend for the disunity of Chrstians that we see today, but rather, intended for the unity of all Christians. Fr. Mike, therefore, concludes with asking us to pray and hope for the miracle of the unity, once again, of all Christians. Today’s readings from the Catechism are paragraphs 817-822. This episode has been found to be in conformity with the Catechism by the Institute on the Catechism, under the Subcommittee on the Catechism, USCCB. For the complete reading plan, visit ascensionpress.com/ciy Please note: The Catechism of the Catholic Church contains adult themes that may not be suitable for children - parental discretion is advised.

Hi, my name is Father Mike Schmitz and you're listening to the Catechism in the Year podcast, where we encounter God's plan of sheer goodness for us, revealed in Scripture and passed down through the tradition of the Catholic faith. The Catechism in the Year is brought to you by Ascension. In 365 days, we'll read through the Catechism of the Catholic Church, discovering our identity and God's family as we journey together toward our heavenly home. This is day 115. We're reading paragraphs 817 to 822. As always, I'm using the Ascension edition of the Catechism, which includes the Foundations of Faith approach, but you can follow along with any recent version of the Catechism of

the Catholic Church. You knock all ahead, I'm also using... you can also download your Catechism in your reading plan. That's what I'm using by visiting ascensionpress.com slash C I Y. And you can click follow or subscribe in your podcast app for daily updates and daily notifications. What a gift to be able to do that. Also speaking of gifts, just a quick thank you to all those who have supported the production of this podcast with prayers, financial gifts. Literally we could not do this without you.

I'm so grateful. So grateful for every one of you today. Wow. You know, yesterday we talked about how the church has one and it's one of the marks of the church. You know, the four marks are one, holy, Catholic and apostolic. So that's a real thing. Today, we recognize, right? We recognize that unity, that oneness has some wounds. In fact, there are wounds that have led to division. There are wounds that have been caused by Christians in the past and you know sometimes we don't really we don't undo those wounds. We're not healing those wounds. In

fact a lot of times us Christians, Catholics and non-Catholics, we're really just kind of okay. We're okay with the fact that the body of Christ is divided. We're okay that the fact that here's the mark of the church is oneness. We're okay that it doesn't have unity You know, in fact, we're even okay sometimes and I don't mean this as an accusation against anybody In fact, if we really look at the first paragraph paragraph 817 the first one we're reading today We recognize that from the very beginning the Apostle meaning st Paul he warns against and he actually censures as damnable divisions in the church. So even bigger dissensions, more serious dissensions appeared and large communities became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church.

That's in paragraph 817. Now it goes on to say, for which often enough men of both sides were to blame. So again here as we're reading through paragraphs 817 to 822, this is not meant to be throwing any stones, to casting any aspersions, it's not pointing any fingers. It's recognizing that, yeah, people of both sides were to blame. The other thing we wanna highlight is this. In paragraph 818, we say that one cannot charge

with the sin of the separation. Those who right now are born into those communities that are separated from the Catholic Church and are brought up in the faith of Christ But apart from the Catholic Church in fact, we can't accuse them So someone's not doing anything wrong if they're simply born into a separated brethren We might that that's the term right separated brethren those Christians who are truly Christians In fact, again paragraph 818 says this very very clearly in by just if they're justified by faith and baptism

They're also incorporated into Christ. They truly been baptized. They truly are Christians So non-catholic Christians with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church So and even those those separated communities, right those other communities those what you might call Ecclesial communities they have grace. They have elements of sanctification and of truth and so paragraph 817 to 819 not only talks about the reality that God wanted unity and also sin caused disunity and

Also that we live in this broken world and also that amongst those moments of disunity In those places of disunity those ecclesial communities, right? Those other, some people use the term churches, those other churches, those denominations that the church is saying, yeah, there are, there's the Holy Spirit is present. There is the life of grace. There are interior gifts. There are visible elements of God's presence. There's truth. And so we're highlighting that paragraph 820 to 822 Talks about at the same time Christ Jesus Christ's prayer at the Last Supper was that the body would be one Christ Jesus Christ at the Last Supper He begs his father

That they may all be one as you father are in me and I am in you May they also be one in us so that the world may know that you have sent me that is Jesus's prayer And so here's the thing if we you know, again the first three paragraphs today are highlighting the fact that yes There is division it's painful and we're not trying to blame any one person We even are affirming the fact that the Holy Spirit can work and does work through those other denominations At the same time we can't be content with the fact that the body of the same time, we can't be content with the fact that the body of Christ is divided. We can't be content, we can't be okay with the reality that the body of Christ has been cut up into pieces, you know, in a matter

of speaking. We can't be okay with the fact that here is Jesus who begged his Father that the church would be one, that his followers, his believers, his disciples would be one, and we're not one right now. That should cause us great pain. If we love what Jesus loved, then we would love that unity. If our hearts are broken by what breaks Christ's heart, then this disunity that we experience, that we take for granted, yeah, that's just how it goes, that should break our hearts as well. And so what the catechism says today is we all ought to be working for unity. We ought to be praying for unity. So let's pray right now. Father in heaven, we give you praise and we call upon your Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit that is the soul of the church.

Lord God, we followers of Christ, your Son, we experience division. Not only do we experience division in our own hearts and division in our relationships, but there are divisions among your believers. And you don't want them. You don't rejoice in those things. You don't rejoice in those divisions. They grieve your heart.

So we ask you, Lord, help bring us back together because it is not the action of human beings that will ever bring the church back together. It will only be the work of grace. It will only be your work that brings your body back into one, that heals the divisions among all Christians. It will only be your grace and your miracle that can take your body that has been so torn and tattered and battered and make it whole again but we know that you can do this Lord even in spite of our brokenness in

spite of our sin we know you can work that miracle so we ask you Lord God this day work that miracle overcome what divides us by what unites us and make us one again for your glory and so that the world may know that you have sent your son Jesus Christ We make this prayer in his name in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit Amen, once again, it's day 115. We're reading paragraphs 817 to 822 Wounds to unity in fact in this one and only Church of God, from its very beginnings there arose certain rifts which the Apostle strongly censures as damnable. But in subsequent centuries, much more serious dissensions appeared and large communities

became separated from full communion with the Catholic Church, for which, often enough, men of both sides were to blame. The ruptures that wound the unity of Christ's body, here we must distinguish heresy, apostasy, and schism, do not occur without human sin. As the early Church-writer Origen said, Where there are sins, there are also divisions, schisms, heresies, and disputes. Where there is virtue, however, there are also harmony and unity, from which arise the one heart and one soul of all believers. However, one cannot charge with the sin of the separation those who at present are born

into these communities that resulted from such separation, and in them are brought up in the faith of Christ, and the Catholic Church accepts them with respect and affection as brothers. All who have been justified by faith in baptism are incorporated into Christ. They therefore have a right to be called Christians, and with good reason are accepted as brothers in the Lord by the children of the Catholic Church. Furthermore, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church.

The written Word of God, the life of grace, faith hope and charity, with the other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit as well as visible elements. Christ's Spirit uses these churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. All these blessings come from Christ and lead to Him, and are in themselves calls to Catholic unity.

Toward Unity Christ bestowed unity on His Church from the beginning. This unity, we believe, subsists in the Catholic Church as something she can never lose, and we hope that it will continue to increase until the end of time. Christ always gives His Church the gift of unity, but the Church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. This is why Jesus Himself prayed at the hour of His Passion and does not cease praying to His Father for the unity of His disciples when He prayed,

That they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I am in you. May they also be one in us, so that the world may know that you have sent me. The desire to recover the unity of all Christians is a gift of Christ and a call of the Holy Spirit. Certain things are required in order to respond adequately to this call. First, a permanent renewal of the Church in greater fidelity to her vocation. Such renewal is the driving force of the movement toward unity. Second, conversion of heart as the faithful try to live holier lives according to the gospel, for it is the unfaithfulness of the members

to Christ's gift which causes divisions. Third, prayer in common, because change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement and merits the name spiritual ecumenism. Fourth, fraternal knowledge of each other. Fifth, ecumenical formation of the faithful and especially of priests. Sixth, dialogue among theologians and meetings among Christians of the different churches and communities.

Seventh, collaboration among Christians in various areas of service to mankind. Human service is the idiomatic phrase. Concern for achieving unity involves the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. But we must realize that this holy objective, the reconciliation of all Christians in the unity of the one and only Church of Christ, transcends human powers and gifts. This is why we place all our hope in the prayer of Christ for the Church, in the love of the Father for us, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Alright, so there we are in paragraphs 817 to 822. Gosh, this is so good. I don't know if this is good for you. I'm guessing that it is. I'm guessing that it really is because there's so much affirmation and there's something about being positive. So here's the first affirmation. We already highlighted it, but let's highlight it again.

Paragraph 817, that we know that from the very beginning Jesus Christ established one church. That's a matter of historical record and that one church is, if you can trace it all the way back, is the Catholic Church. We know that from the very beginning and also from the very beginning. You know, St. Paul's writing to the Corinthians in his first letter to the Corinthians and he's saying, wait, there's all these factions, there's rivalries among you. And you can't do that. You can't say I belong to Apollos or I belong to Cepha or I belong to Paul. He says that it's damnable, in fact, goes on to say, but in subsequent centuries, much more serious dissensions appeared in large communities became separated from full communion

with the Catholic Church. Again, both sides, people of both sides were to blame. We can't just go on pointing fingers at each other the fact is what causes division what causes division is sin and that's the that's the thing it's like so often I mean look look at let's look at our own hearts right now let's look at our attitude toward denominations let's look at our attitude toward you know I guess what the church will call ecclesial communities sometimes we just think oh yeah you know varieties of spice of life I mean that's we just think, oh yeah, you know,

variety's the spice of life. I mean, that's okay. It's okay that there's, you know, right now I think currently somewhere between 20,000 and 35,000 different Christian denominations in the United States alone. You think, that's so many. And sometimes we just think, yeah,

and that's just how it is. And again, gives people a lot to choose from. Everyone can find their place. And yet, we recognize that that's not what God intended. God intended unity. And a unity, a unique unity. The unity where everyone does find their place, but they find their place not in their own version, not in their own flavor of Christianity, but they find their place in that one Church

of Jesus Christ, that one Church that Jesus Himself has founded. Now at the same time, here is the Church in paragraphs 8-18 and 8-19 affirming the fact that yeah, there are separated brethren. Our brothers and sisters in Christ who have faith, they have baptism, and so they truly are our brothers and sisters. And also, paragraph 8-19, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church. So

there's the written Word of God, there's life of grace, there's faith, hope and charity, there's other interior gifts of the Holy Spirit, and as well as other visible elements. So Christ uses those churches and ecclesial communities as means of salvation. And that's incredible, that's great. I mean, so we affirm that, We affirm that. At the same time, that sentence continues. And that sentence continues in a really powerful way that could seem arrogant. It could seem prideful, but it's just being honest. And here's how that sentence concludes. It says, yes, Christ's Spirit uses these other churches and ecclesial communities

as means of salvation. But it goes on to say, whose power derives from the fullness of grace and truth that Christ has entrusted to the Catholic Church. And that's the heart of this, right? The church, remember, is the universal sacrament of salvation. How does Christ's grace get to the world? Well, through the church that he founded, through the Holy Spirit working

through the church that he founded. So even let's look back here to the beginning of paragraph 819. Many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside the visible confines of the Catholic Church. For example, the written Word of God. Okay, pause on that one. That's true. We have so many of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ who love the Word of God. Question, where did they get that from? They got it from the Catholic Church. The life of grace.

Well, again, where does that come from? Originally, here is Jesus who gave His grace, He gave His Holy Spirit to those original apostles united with that first pope named Cepha, named Peter, and that life of grace. And again, it's not to say that here's this triumphalistic type attitude. It's not triumphalistic. In fact, the church on earth is a church that still has to fight. There's glory because God still does amazing things through his church on this earth, but there's also

struggle. And so there's nothing to brag about right now. In fact, St. Paul says it right, if I should boast, I'm not gonna boast in anything except for the cross of Jesus Christ. So we don't boast in the gifts that God has given the Catholic Church any more than you could boast about any gift that someone else has given you. It's just a gift at the same time amidst all this division and amidst all these good things that Christ has given to his Catholic Church and given to these other

ecclesial communities We have to be praying for unity. It goes on to paragraph 820 says Christ always gives his church the gift of unity. That's the Catholic Church Christ always gives his church the gift of unity But the church must always pray and work to maintain, reinforce, and perfect the unity that Christ wills for her. That's why Jesus praised this prayer in his passion at the Last Supper that they may all be one. We have to, we have to strive after and hopefully God willing recover the unity of all Christians. That's a gift of Christ and it's a call of the Holy Spirit.

And so that's what we have to be doing. Again, and this is the end. Let's just talk about this. This is the end because tomorrow we're talking about the fact that the church is holy. We will talk about some, you know, divisions in the future, of course. But right now, I think it's worth it. I think it's worth just praying and saying, Lord, heal the divisions. What's the last paragraph say? Paragraph 822. It says, concern for achieving unity involves the whole church, faithful and clergy alike. So we all have to be concerned for achieving unity.

But we must realize that this holy objective, right, the reconciliation of all Christians in the one and only Church of Christ, that transcends human powers and gifts. None of us are going to do that. There are not going to be any negotiations that happen. No one can strategize and plot and plan and make it so this has to happen, that there's unity once again in Christ's Church. If it happens, it will be the work of the love of the Father for us, the power of the Holy Spirit, and that prayer of Jesus Christ for his Church. It will be an act of grace,

it will be a miracle. But here's the thing, man, the life of the Christian is a life that prays for miracles, right? The faith of the Christian is a faith that prays for miracles. And so if we're listening to this, you're part of this community, you know, day 115, and you are Catholic, we have to pray for the unity of all Christians.

We have to pray that once again, once again we'll be gathered around with one shepherd, around one altar. And if you're not a Catholic Christian, but if you've been joining us for these 115 days, realize that this might actually be the Lord's personal invitation to you to help unity actually be accomplished. How does that happen? Well it happens when you know we hear these words and we think, wait a second, you know, Jesus established one church

and then people I don't know, they broke off and they started a new church and I was raised in that church and maybe I got some really great things from that church. Maybe I was blessed so much. I learned who Jesus was. I know what the life of the Holy Spirit is. I learned grace. I met holy people. But maybe this is Jesus's invitation to you to take that step and say, I'm going to be the agent of reconciliation. I'm going to be the agent of unity. Maybe Jesus is calling me to do my part in bringing about that unity by taking it a step closer to the Catholic Church.

We talk about reconciliation a lot. Maybe this is God's invitation. I'm so sorry about that. I don't want to surprise anybody with this, but it just I'm just I don't know Move by the Holy Spirit. I just have this this thought this prayer in my heart It just wants to put out this invitation to all those our brothers and sisters who are not Catholic, but our Christians are followers of Christ and You have this burden on your heart of a burden towards unity because you have the heart of Jesus and Jesus prayed for unity

the division among his body grieves him and it grieves you burden towards unity because you have the heart of Jesus and Jesus prayed for unity. The division among his body grieves him and it grieves you. Maybe reconciliation isn't what someone else needs to do. Maybe reconciliation isn't what your local church needs to do. Maybe reconciliation is what Jesus Christ is inviting you to do By taking one more step closer To being received into full communion with the Catholic Church Maybe that's what maybe that's exactly what he's inviting you to do We're not meant to be divided

We are supposed to be united And so let's pray for that If you're Catholic, I'm praying for you. If you're not Catholic, I am praying for you. You are loved. We really are brothers and sisters. We really are because of baptism in the Holy Spirit. And so our prayers for each other, they really do matter. And I'm praying for you.

Please pray for me. My name is Father Mike. I cannot wait to see you tomorrow. God bless.