By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski delivered these remarks at a joint commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. The ecumenical service took place Oct. 29, 2017, at St. Mary Cathedral.
Whether we are Catholics, Lutherans or members of other ecclesial communions or confessions, today in this Cathedral Church, we gather in the unity of the Holy Spirit as brothers and sisters in the Lord Jesus Christ and sons and daughters of the Father.
October 31 will mark the quincentennial, or 500th anniversary, of the beginning of what history has called the Protestant Reformation. Regarding the significance of the Reformation there are perhaps as many answers as there are denominations within Protestantism. However, most historians and theologians today would agree that it was not Martin Luther’s intention to divide the Church, much less to start a brand new church. Yet the consequences of what this Augustinian monk initiated, albeit unintended, resulted in the rupture of the unity of Western Christianity – and thus if we take to heart Jesus’ prayer that we be one as he and his Father are one, then perhaps we should commemorate the Reformation as one would commemorate the anniversary of a divorce. One may argue whether it was necessary; but there should be no argument that it was and is a tragedy.
“A tragic necessity” is precisely how the then Lutheran theologian and Yale professor, Jarosalv Pelikan, described the Reformation. The Christian apologist, Thomas Howard, writes, in quoting Pelikan, that “The tragedy of the Reformation consists in the loss by both sides of some of the very things each claimed to be defending against the other; its final outcome was not what Rome or the reformers had wanted. Yet the necessity of the Reformation consists in the loyalty of the reformers to the best and highest in Roman Catholic Christianity and their obligation to summon Rome back to it.” Partisans on both sides will have difficulty in acknowledging the Reformation in these terms. Yet as the Reformation turns 500, Howard continues, “Catholics ought to try to think about why so many, then and now, felt the necessity of the Reformation; and conversely Protestants ought to consider why Catholics, then and now, have perceived it as tragic.”
500 years of a history in which Catholics and Protestants behaved towards each other in ways that were less than Christ-like certainly calls for some sobriety on our part today. Praying, fasting, penance come to mind as perhaps the most appropriate way not only to commemorate this significant anniversary but also to move closer to the unity that Christ prayed for. Ut unum sint. That they be one.
Of course, that those gathered here represent a variety of confessions is perhaps something that we should celebrate. Much progress has been made in healing old memories, in overcoming ancient suspicions and in setting aside historic animosities. That progress has been made, especially in the last 50 years, is undeniable; and this progress, I would assert, is irreversible. Catholics and Lutherans, Catholics and Protestants in general, have learned to talk together, to work together on common projects, especially on projects that advance the common good and seek to build a more just world; we have learned to pray together — though we are still far from full communion. But, to paraphrase an old preacher, “We ain’t where we oughta be and we ain’t where we gonna be; but thank God almighty, we ain’t where we used to be.”
Dialog between Catholics and the various denominations that have sprung from the Reformation has been ongoing since the early 1960s. In many ways, this dialog was born of the new openness towards those that the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council referred to as “our separated brethren.” Sometimes dialog was born of the pragmatic realization that in an increasingly secular and irreligious world in the aftermath of World War II, if we as men and women of faith “don’t hang together, we may well end up hanging separately.”
The purpose of dialog is not to split the difference or to seek a reductive restatement of faith that would merely paper over our differences. True ecumenism begins with an honest statement of our differences over things that are important – precisely because they are important. But this does not mean we do not seek to strengthen what we hold in common. Ecumenical dialog is not about a debate in which one side seeks to score points against the other. The aim of dialog is really for one to understand the other. We know that ecumenical dialog is fruitful and is advancing the cause of unity when Lutherans can recognize themselves and their beliefs in what Catholics say about Lutherans and their faith; and when Catholics can recognize themselves and their beliefs in what Lutherans say about Catholics and their faith.
Dialog helps us move beyond parodies and caricatures that have blurred our vision and impeded us from recognizing each other as brothers and sisters sharing one Faith, one Baptism, one Lord.
When through dialog a Catholic can represent adequately – and without distortion – what a Lutheran believes and vice versa, then we find surprising convergences. We saw this in the Joint Declaration of Justification between the Lutheran World Federation and the Catholic Church. For five centuries, Catholics and Lutherans saw themselves divided on the meaning of “justification by faith.” Yet, we were able to arrive at a mutual understanding that this article of faith is no longer church-dividing. Both Catholics and Lutherans can now together affirm in the words of the Joint Declaration: “We confess together: By grace alone, in faith in Christ’s saving work and not because of any merit on our part, we are accepted by God and receive the Holy Spirit, who renews our hearts while equipping and calling us to good works.”
After 500 years, we have rediscovered a real if imperfect communion between us. We resolve to strengthen what we hold in common and with “holy impatience” seek to build unity through a reconciled diversity.
There is no faithful Catholic today that would disagree that “the true treasure of the Church is the Most Holy Gospel of the glory and grace of God.” That’s what Martin Luther said 500 years ago in Thesis 62 of the 95 he nailed to a church door in Wittenberg.
