Can we ever have true Christian unity? It seems that there are five unities of Christianity: mystical, ecclesial, sacramental, doctrinal, and governmental. The trinitarian God (one in three and three in one) has all five unities. The mystical union of persons dwells in one divine essence (body – ecclesial). They have this unity because they dwell in one another (sacramental). They are united in truth (doctrine). And they are rightly ordered: Father-Son-Holy Spirit. Can we ever have true Christian unity without being united in these five unities of God?
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I’ve recently come into the Church from the Episcopal church. I’ve reflected on this, now from the Catholic side. I’ve wondered WHY did God ‘allow’ the Reformation in the first place? He has, (we would say, wouldn’t we?) blessed those separated churches over the years, and their have been many great Protestant leaders (C.S. Lewis, Billy Graham, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Corrie Ten Boom, etc.) who have lived lives of great faith. What IS God doing in and among these separated churches/Christians? What do we, on ‘this side’ need to learn from this? What do we (perhaps) need to repent of even yet? I can’t believe, in God’s Kingdom, that it is simply a matter of waiting til ‘they’ wake up and come home.
I like that. We are to “count others better than ourselves” and “honour all men” – and that applies to other Christians. I’ve recently come from Pentecostal to Catholic, which has felt like only a small step – for isn’t the Roman Catholic Church the biggest Pentecostal church there is? But as a Pentecostal, I’ve long been used to other Christians not sharing my experience of God, being suspicious of my devotion to the Holy Spirit, and accusing me of elevating that above scripture. So now I’m Catholic, what’s new? All I can do, all any of us can do, is to let God lead me into the fullness of Christ and let His light so shine out in me that others glorify the Father and are provoked to jealousy for what they see I have, and so will want it too. That’s not sitting back and waiting. If you keep yourself always at the ready to bear witness to God’s great work in you, He’ll use you to do that all the time. But doesn’t that throw us into earnest penitence, prayer and adoration?
God respects human dignity and the freedom to choose. Sadly, the Creator’s own creatures will, and do, reject God’s love.
Why did God allow Israelites to go into exile? In His mysterious love, God obviously knew some would believe in the gods of their captors. The remnant of faithful Israelites persevered in while hoping and knowing their God would deliver on the promises He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.