When my older brother started dating one of the first questions my mother asked was, “Is she Catholic?” My mother’s question was part of a longstanding train of thought by the Catholic Church which viewed other religions in a negative light. In fact, the older Code of Canon Law (1918) forbade Catholics to participate in any non-Catholic religious service including weddings and funerals.
Vatican II changed the way we view other faith traditions. The Council Fathers made ecumenism a priority. More than 100 observers from non-Catholic churches attended the Council. The Council’s documents on ecumenism not only demonstrated an openness to other faith traditions but went so far as to affirm their goodness, saying “The Catholic Church rejects nothing that is true and holy in these religions.” Nostra Aetate, The Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions, and in another document, “It remains true that all who have been justified by faith in Baptism are members of Christ's body, and have a right to be called Christian, and so are correctly accepted as brothers by the children of the Catholic Church. Unitatis Redintegratio, Decree on Ecumenism.
In the last 50 years, much has been accomplished in the work of ecumenism, but many challenges remain. This weekend’s Feast of the Epiphany is another reminder that Christ came for all people, as we commemorate the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles through the coming of the Magi. Epiphany means appearance or manifestation. In the spirit of Vatican II, it’s worth contemplating how we “manifest” Christ by our words and actions. Perhaps Peter Scholtes said it best shortly after the Council ended when he wrote this song, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love.” Amen!
