“No-one should go hungry, nobody should be poor in the Christian community”, said
Pope Benedict XVI Wednesday underlining that one of the four pillars of unity is fellowship
and sharing as seen in the early Christian communities of Jerusalem. In a general
audience dedicated entirely to the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the Pope expressed
“vivid regret” for the obstacles that still remain on the journey towards full communion
in Christ, once again underlining that prayer is the cornerstone of all ecumenical
efforts, “the Lord must assist us on this journey, he must still help us a lot, because
alone we can do nothing”.
Speaking to a crowded Paul VI audience hall, the
Pope traced what he described as the “four pillars” of Christian unity, starting from
the witness of early communities of Jerusalem as set out in the Acts of the Apostles,
from which this years theme was taken; “They devoted themselves to the Apostles’ teaching
and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers”.
First, he said “fidelity
to the Gospel of Jesus Christ proclaimed by the Apostles, listening to the witness
that they give to the mission, life, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus". "Even
today, the community of believers recognizes in reference to the teaching of the Apostles
the law for their faith; every effort to build unity among all Christians therefore
passes through the deepening of fidelity to the deposit of faith handed down to us
by the apostles."
"The second element is fraternal communion. At the time
of the first Christian community, as well as in our day, this is the most tangible
expression, especially for the outside world, of unity among the disciples of the
Lord. " In Acts we see that "the early Christians held all things in common, and those
who owned properties and possessions sold them to share with the needy. In the history
of the Church this sharing of substances found ever new modes of expression. One of
these, which is peculiar, is that of relations of fraternity and friendship built
between Christians of different confessions. The history of the ecumenical movement
is marked by difficulties and uncertainties, but is also a story of brotherhood, cooperation
and human and spiritual sharing, that has significantly changed the relationship between
believers in the Lord Jesus: we are all committed to continuing on this path”.
The
third element is "the breaking of bread, in which the Lord Himself becomes present
in the one sacrifice of the Cross." Communion in Christ's sacrifice is the culmination
of our union with God and is therefore also the fullness of the unity of the disciples
of Christ, full communion” Although , continued Pope Benedict “the inability of separated
Christians to share the same Eucharistic table is a reminder that we are still far
from the unity which Christ wills for his disciples, it is also an incentive to greater
efforts to remove every obstacle to that unity”.
Finally, he concluded “prayer
itself helps us realize that we are children of the one heavenly Father, called to
forgiveness and reconciliation. During this Week, let us pray that all Christians
will grow in fidelity to the Gospel, in fraternal unity and in missionary zeal, in
order to draw all men and women into the saving unity of Christ’s Church”. Listen: