Only a few days left before the end of the first decade of the new millennium! As we prepare to celebrate the coming of the Son of God in our flesh and in our history, it is relevant that we remind ourselves of a few guidelines given to us by Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter marking the beginning of this millenium: Novo millenio ineunte (January 6, 2001). He invites the Church to start afresh from Christ, to implement the injunction given to Peter, to "put out into the deep", while remembering his promise: “I am with you always”.
This letter reminds us the fundamental elements of our Christian life: holiness, prayer, Sunday Eucharist, the sacrament of Reconciliation, the primacy of grace, listening to the Word and proclaiming it (29-41). It is quite evident in the life of saints that these elements form part of a quality daily Christian life. We should ask ourselves whether these realities are valued in our communities’ daily activities. We have to think about it constantly.
We are about to enter into the second decade of this millennium. It seems to me to be especially opportune in this context to emphasise what the Pope calls a "spirituality of communion (43ss)." It is the heart’s contemplation of our brothers and sisters in faith, so that we can recognize ourselves as members of a same Body. This cordial contemplation leads to a sharing of their joys and sufferings, sensing their desires and attending to their needs, in short, offering them deep and genuine friendship. A spirituality of communion implies developing the ability to see what is positive in others and bearing each other’s burdens (Ga 6,2). In summary, a spirituality of communion is a challenge to fight against competition, distrust, jealousy, ills that eat away so easily at our families, our communities and our various parish groups.
"To make the Church the home and the school of communion: that is the great challenge facing us", declares John Paul II. This challenge calls for forums and means of communion in our Church’s daily structures. Let us think of forums of all sorts, including the senate of priests and pastoral councils, local or regional teams, church wardens and so many other instances where we are called upon to work in complementarity with and in the appreciative reception of such diverse skills that the Spirit has sown in the Body of Christ. All these forums call for a spirit of trust and of mutual openness among priests, priests and lay people, and among lay people of all conditions, ages and experiences. It is first and foremost a matter of the heart and of ecclesial fervor. Only the Spirit can give us this new heart. We have to ask for it together.
I also think of all these diversities that are so marked in our diocese. How can we live harmoniously with these various trends in spiritualities, these different types of associations, these various callings and charismas, these various pastoral options and these choices of priorities of all sorts, if there is no such open and respectful dialogue? Only this contemplation of the heart will have us make the necessary compromises through charity, mutual respect and dialogue, support one another without any ulterior motive and share our resources or lack of so that the Risen Christ may grow in harmony, living through the Spirit, continuing through us, his members, his journey on earth in our times.
I would invite those in charge of pastoral teams and associations of all sorts to read anew in their meetings this magnificent text of Paul in 1 Corinthians, 12: "Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it." Such a vision has countless applications and a daily impact.
The Pope added: "If we have truly started out anew from the contemplation of Christ, we must learn to see him especially in the faces of those with whom he himself wished to be identified: "I was hungry and you gave me food…." (Matthew 25,35-36)." As poverty is spreading among us, these words of Jesus are more than ever an insistent reminder: "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."
I wish that the year 2010 will bear the mark of this charity as described by Saint Paul: " Love is patient, love is kind; it is not jealous; love is not pompous; it is not inflated; it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury; it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails" (1 Corinthians 13, 4-7). Let us pray for one another that the Spirit enable us to take at least a few steps in this spirituality of communion at the beginning of this new year. Let us place ourselves in the hands of Mary, Mother of the Church, our patron, who wants us collectively to become more and more the living and invigorating Body of her Son. It is a fundamental condition of our missionary statement in this world of ours so often indifferent and sceptical.
I will stop here. Why not reread these pages1 together slowly? They offer a realistic and fundamental program of Christian life in faith.
† Roger Ébacher
Archbishop of Gatineau
December 22, 2009
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1 This text is on the Vatican Web site at the following address: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_20010106_novo-millennio-ineunte_fr.html.
