Throughout the history of the Christian people, since the first Pentecost, it is clear that the work of unity is always a work of the Holy Spirit. It is noteworthy then that in preparation for the Second Vatican Council, John XXIII famously prayed for a new Pentecost.
“Renew your wonders in this our day, as by a new Pentecost. Grant to Your Church that, being of one mind and steadfast in prayer with Mary, the Mother of Jesus, and following the lead of blessed Peter, it may advance the reign of our Divine Savior, the reign of truth and justice, the reign of love and peace. Amen.” [1]
The implicit recognition is that Pentecost marked the moment that the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit – the effect of which is transformative in terms of missionary confidence and in terms of bringing about a more profound unity. We see in Pentecost the first fruits of the high priestly prayer of Christ himself, men and women from differing backgrounds and languages understood one another “received his (Peter’s) word and were baptized.” [2] Scripture scholars see in this moment a lifting of the curse of the tower of Babel, the action of the Holy Spirit fostering understanding and therefore love.
Indeed, He sent the Holy Spirit upon all men that He might move them inwardly to love God with their whole heart and their whole soul, with all their mind and all their strength and that they might love each other as Christ loves them. [3]
Not to be underestimated is the subsequent development of the charismatic movement of the Church which grew exponentially in the years following the Vatican Council, now fully recognized as a ‘current of grace’.
“What we learn in the New Testament on charisms, which appeared as visible signs of the coming of the Holy Spirit, is not a historical event of the past, but a reality ever alive. It is the same divine Spirit, soul of the Church, that acts in every age and those mysterious and effective interventions of the Spirit are manifest in our time in a providential way. [4]
Reflection on this reveals a key principle (elucidated further in Unitiatis Redintegratio). The movement towards unity is a human cooperation with the dynamic work of the Spirit, it is not primarily driven by the labor of man. Whilst ecumenical dialogue, prayer and action are human activities that are important in fostering the work of ecumenism, the unity that we seek already exists in the mind of God. “His plan for the fullness of time is to unite all things under the headship of Christ”. [5]
This article by Paul Jordan is excerpted from his essay, Ecumenism and Vatican II: The Imperative and Implementation. The whole essay is available online.
Top image credit: Dramatic sun piercing through clouds, Holy Spirit as a dove hovers (cropped image), digital photo artwork by Johannes Plenio from Uplash.com. Free to use under the Unsplash License.
[1] Pope John XXIII, Humanae Salutis, In Preparation for The Second Vatican Council, 1962, para 23
[2] Acts 2:41, The New Testament, Revised Standard Version, 1952.
[3] Lumen Gentium, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, The Second Vatican Council 1964, para. 40.
[4] Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Address to Charismatic Covenant Communities, October 2008.
[5] Ephesians 1:10, The New Testament, Revised Standard Version, 1952.
Paul Jordan, originally from Scotland, grew up in the context of the Community of the Risen Christ in Glasgow. He and his wife Noemi are Sword of the Spirit members living in Belgium. Together with their five children they serve a number of local mission initiatives.