When we look around us it is not difficult to miss the many divisions and conflicts that exist between nations, political factions, ethnic groups and religions.
As Christians, how can we play our part in healing division and promoting unity in a world and a society that appear to be so divided and polarized?
I think that one place to begin is to renew the commitment of our churches and faith communities to ecumenism, and to do our part — through dialogue and mutual understanding, forgiveness and reconciliation — to begin to overcome what divides and separates us from our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Let us take these words of Jesus to heart:
“That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.” – John 17:21
What Jesus prays to the Father that “all of them may be one,” he in turn commands us to put his prayer into practice.
But where to begin? An enduring temptation, either in any community or in the Christian life, is to focus on what separates us. But growing in unity requires discerning and affirming, in truth and charity, what we hold in common.
Amid all that Christians hold in common, the Creed, alongside the Sacred Scriptures and the Lord’s Supper, is a core component of the faith of Catholic, Orthodox and Reformed Christians.
Both in the Apostle’s Creed and in a more expansive form in the Nicene Creed, Christians attest to the primary truths of our faith in, and understanding of, the Most Holy Trinity, the Incarnation of the Word of God, our salvation in Christ and of the nature and mission of the Church.
Next year, Christians throughout the entire world will be commemorating and celebrating the 1,700th anniversary of the First Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. At Nicaea on the outskirts of Constantinople, the bishops of the undivided Church were called together by the Emperor Constantine (himself a new convert to the faith) to settle a dispute over the equal divinity of Jesus, the Incarnate Word of God and the Father.
What resulted was the creed of Nicaea (which in a subsequent council also affirmed the divinity of the Holy Spirit.) The council fathers also agreed to a common way of determining the date of Easter throughout the entire Christian world.
Because of the centrality of the Creed of Nicaea for the majority of Christian churches and faith communities, the World Council of Churches, representing Reformed, Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches and faith communities, in collaboration with the Vatican Dicastery for Christian Unity, have been preparing for this anniversary celebration since 2019.
Why? Because Nicaea and the Creed that came out of that long-ago council continues to be foundational for our shared faith across those divisions and conflicts that still tragically separate us from each other. Coming together during this anniversary is an opportunity to enter into a richer appreciation of what unites us in our common faith in Christ.
One highlight of this anniversary year is the visit that Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople and Francis, the Bishop of Rome, plan to make together to Nicaea (Iznik in modern-day Turkey) to confirm the shared ecumenical commitment of the churches that they lead.
Another is that in 2025 Easter will be celebrated on the same Sunday by both Eastern and Western Christians.
Here in Juneau planning is already underway for the celebration of the anniversary of Nicaea during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18th-25th, 2025).
As this anniversary of Nicaea approaches, may we renew our commitment to unity and ecumenism.
May we refuse to be complacent about the many divisions in our world and in our society, and especially as disciples. with what separates us from those who bear the name of Christ.
May we be grateful for the fidelity of “the cloud of witnesses” in every generation who have handed on to us our faith.
• Deacon Charles Rohrbacher serves at the Co-Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. “Living and Growing” is a weekly column written by different authors and submitted by local clergy and spiritual leaders. It appears every Saturday on the Juneau Empire’s Faith page.
