Vatican II

DOCUMENT:

What Difference Does it Make?

UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO Decree on Ecumenism

different churches who gave witness to Christ as martyrs are sharing together in a marvelous oneness in the love and life of the Holy Trinity. He also taught we need to keep in mind on earth this very real unity of all the martyrs, from various Christian churches, in heaven. The Catholic Church teaches that all those baptized in water and according to the Gospel of Matthew in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are truly part of the body of Christ and deserve to be accepted by Catholics with respect and affection as brothers and sisters in the Lord. Sadly, the divisions of history cause an obstacle to really experiencing the fullness of that unity and affection we could have for each other. The Catholic Church also teaches that it is a work of the Holy Spirit to look for those elements we share in common and to try to overcome these divisions. This is what is called ecumenism, the movement to work for the oneness of the Church of Christ.
Rev Joseph T. Hilinski

The

Relationship
living our jesuswith christ

faith we hold in Jesus Christ as members of the Catholic Church is a faith to be shared by the whole world and is a message for every human being. But many in our world wonder about this faith we have in Jesus Christ when there are so many divisions among those who say they are his followers. The differences are sometimes very extreme; so extreme that some Christians will not even recognize another as part of the one Church of Christ. So the Catholic Church offers some very important insights from what was handed down to us by the apostles and what has been taught through the ages to make some sense of this situation. While the fullness of the Christian faith is found in the tradition of the Catholic Church, the Catholic Church recognizes that there are many elements of the teaching of Christ that other Christians hold dearly and even for which they have died. Blessed John Paul II taught while there may be divisions among Christians on earth, in the heavenly courts all those even from

Reflection Questions
"By the Sacrament of Baptism.. people become truly incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ and are reborn to a sharing of the divine life
(DECREE ON ECUMENISM #22)

1. What have you learned about being Christian from a friend or family member from another Church? 2. What has caused you the most sorrow in the divisions of the churches of Christ? 3. How have you worked to heal the disunity of the past among Christians?

Document Quote
By the sacrament of Baptism, whenever it is properly conferred in the way the Lord determined and is received with proper dispositions of soul, people become truly incorporated into the crucified and glorified Christ and are reborn to a sharing of the divine lifeBaptism , therefore, establishes a sacramental bond of unity among all who through it are reborn.
(DECREE ON ECUMENISM #22) Read more...www.dioceseofcleveland.org/yearoffaith Join the Conversation: dioceseofcleveland @DIOCESEofCLE

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