By Fr. Tom Mangattuthazhe –
It is a privilege and joy for me to convey to the ICM Team hearty congratulations and sincere words of appreciation as it completes three years of existence. I do this as I gratefully keep in mind how ICM has brought to public domain the ecumenical life in North-East India. Since then, the appreciation of ICM and relationship has remained dear. The Christian churches in North-East India are in so many ways Christian communities of communions with bonds all over the world, thank you for making this binding stronger.
Christian presence in the digital amphitheatre has to be touching its culture like salt and yeast. If we give up this area we are forsaking the people who are spending considerable volumes of time and energy in this space. The twitter handle @pontifex that was launched by Pope Francis soon after he became the Pope is an affirmation of this attitude of communication. We need individuals and institutions to venture in and support such initiatives. We are in an era of communication explosion and knowledge. This is certainly contributing to the relationship between persons, communities and God. How shall we proceed with this ministry of communication and more specifically the ministry of ecumenical communication?
One of the best models for ecumenical communication is the prayer taught by Jesus, the Our Father. It contains all what Jesus did and wished for followers to obey. The call of this prayer is the perfect and universal union of believers. No portion of the Bible is more frequently quoted by Christians than the prayer Jesus taught His disciples. It is known to all Churches and denominations in all parts of the world. It does remain as mutual point of agreement for worship and action.
On March 12, 2020 Christians around the world prayed the Our Father seeking God’s intervention during the COVID– 19 pandemic. The Patriarchate of Constantinople, the archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, head of the Anglican Communion are some of the world church leaders who endorsed and played this prayer by Pope Francis.
The Lord’s Prayer has a collective tone. The Our Father is addressed as ‘Our Father’ meaning communion, the communion with the Christians, the world, and our eternal God. In this regard it is good to reflect some assumptions: Our brand of Christianity, that is, that the Catholic Church has the exclusivity of all religious truths. The fact is: Many truths of our faith are also present in other Christian groups (cf. UR, 3). The way they live out these truths can also enrich us. Only Catholics will be saved in the next life so we need to convert others into our religion. The fact is: Though we have “the all-embracing means of salvation,” other Christian churches are not deprived of the mystery of salvation (cf. UR, 3). Thus, we do not need to impose our faith on them. Conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit. Our task is proclaim our faith and to give witness to it. Arguing and debating about our respective beliefs often characterize our interaction with other Christian groups. The fact is: Ecumenism is not only about doctrines, even in theological exchanges, the manner proposed is listening to each other in the spirit of humility and love (cf. UR, 11). Alongside these viewpoints we also need to take into consideration the renewal of our firm confidence towards our Catholic faith.
The three petitions in the first part of the Lord’s Prayer is in a vertical orientation; they are centred on God: His name, kingdom and will. The petitions in the second part of the Lord’s Prayer are petitions on the things human beings need in this world. We ask God for our common need; in this case it is for our sustenance in life as a group. Hence, the prayer Our Father is a prayer that obliterates all forms of egoism. No one prays for himself or herself only but for common interest. It calls to mind the practice of the early Christians as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles: “All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need” (Acts 2:44-45).
Fr. Tom Mangattuthazhe is the secretary for NEIRBC Commission for Ecumenism