Every year, between January 18 and January 25, Christians around the world celebrate a week of prayer for the unity of all Christians: to reflect on scripture together, to participate in ecumenical services, and to share fellowship.  In commemoration of the 500^th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation, the Churches are invited to reflect together on the theme “Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us,” inspired by 2 Corinthians 5:14-20. This message invites Christians around the world to celebrate God’s reconciling grace, calls us to recognize the pain of the deep divisions which afflict the Church, and urges us to become ambassadors of Christ’s message of reconciliation.  On the one hand, they call us to a celebration of God’s love and grace, reflecting the main concern of the churches marked by Martin Luther’s Reformation. On the other hand, they acknowledge the pain of the subsequent deep divisions which have afflicted the Church ever since, and offer an opportunity and an invitation to take concrete steps toward reconciliation, which is a gift from God, intended for the entire creation. As a result of God´s action, those who have been reconciled in Christ are called to proclaim this reconciliation in word and deed, living no longer for themselves, but for Christ who died for all.  Hear the words of St. Paul, quoted by Pope Francis in “The Joy of the Gospel”:

“The love of Christ urges us on, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.  And he died for all, so that those who live might live no longer for themselves, but for him who died and was raised for them.  From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a (merely) human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way.  So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has entrusted to us the ministry of reconciliation.”

When Catholics hear the word “reconciliation”, we automatically tend to think of its expression in the sacrament of healing and forgiveness.  But the call to reconciliation is not purely about our individual relationship with God, or even about the inner life of the Church.  It is essentially at the heart of the mission of the Church, the life-saving Gospel message Christ has entrusted to us.  To understand this better, let us consider this parable from the Indian Jesuit spiritual teacher Anthony deMello:

Once upon a time, on a rocky seacoast where shipwrecks were frequent, there was once a little lifesaving station.  It was little more than a hut, with only one boat, but the few people who manned it were a devoted lot who kept constant watch over the sea.  Fearlessly would they brave the storms if there was any evidence of a shipwreck, with little regard for themselves and for their own safety.  They saved many lives, and in due time, the station became famous.

As the fame of the station grew, the people who lived in the neighbourhood desired to become associated with its work.  They offered their time and money, and before long, new members were enrolled, new boats bought, new crews trained.  The hut was replaced with a large, comfortable building which could better meet the needs of those who had been saved by the sea.  And since shipwrecks don't happen every day, it became a popular gathering place for the community, a sort of local club.

As time passed, people became more and more interested in socializing and less and less in lifesaving  ... although they continued to proudly wear the lifesaving motto on a chain around their necks.  In fact, when people actually were rescued from the sea, it was really a bit of a nuisance ... because they were dirty and sick, and they made a mess of the nice carpeting and the new furniture. 

Before long, the social activities of the club became so numerous and the lifesaving activities so few, there was a showdown.  Some of the members, including even some of the most recent to join, were insisting that they return to their original purpose and activity.  A vote was taken, and because these troublemakers were a relatively small minority, they were invited to leave the club and go start another.

And so they did.  They moved a little further down the coast, and tried to return to the original vision.  Eventually, they too became famous, and drew more followers.  They expanded their membership, bought more boats ... and then, the same thing happened to them.  Today, if you happen to visit this area, you will find a number of exclusive clubs dotting the shoreline.  Each one is justifiably proud of its origins, its traditions.  Some of the members even talk to one another, but many still don't.  Oh, by the way, shipwrecks still occur in these parts.  But nobody seems to care much.

When I met last week with Fr. Mike and his leadership team, in preparation for the celebration of his installation Mass this weekend (today), a phrase came up which I think sums this story up well: “The Church does not have a mission.  The mission has a church!”  In other words, as important as the buildings and bricks-and-mortar issues may be, we always need to keep foremost in our concerns the very reason for which the Church exists: to go out and make disciples, so that the saving love offered to us in Jesus may be known and welcomed and integrated by others, so that they too in turn may join us in this great adventure of living as “missionary-disciples”.  Most of us were not brought up – whether at home or in the church – to think of ourselves in this way.  Perhaps we grew up in what might charitably be called “the pay-pray-and-obey” model, in which as long as you followed the rules, attended Sunday Mass, and provided some financial support to the church, your bases were covered.

In today’s Gospel, we get some sense of the urgency of Christ’s call, and the total response it calls forth from us.   Jesus is walking by the Sea of Galilee, and he calls first Peter and Andrew, then James and John, to come and follow him.  Matthew specifies that in both cases, IMMEDIATELY they left: their nets, their boats, their fathers, all that was familiar to them.  It’s always tempting to put off the call to follow Jesus, to spread his Gospel, to wait till a better, more convenient time.  But as St. Paul says elsewhere: “now is the moment to respond, now is the day of salvation.”  We need only look around our families, our parishes, our neighbourhood, our city, our country, our world to see how much we need the message of Christ, the power of Christ, the love of Christ.

This is why I was delighted to be asked to come and preach here this weekend, and to celebrate with this community, which was my home for four years, named after a saint to whom I have become more and more attached and inspired over the years, as you celebrate the formal inauguration of Fr. Michael’s ministry as pastor.  For just as the call to interdenominational unity and reconciliation is not for tomorrow, but today, immediately, so too is the call of this community to engage in a process of evangelization and missionary discipleship the response to an urgent call of the Spirit. 

In ecumenical dialogue, we humbly acknowledge our own contributions to the problem of disunity, and open our hearts to Jesus’ call to break down the boundaries and walls that separate us and prevent us from living out Jesus’ invitation, “Father, may they all be one!”  In the same way, here in St. Ignatius, we can acknowledge the divisions that exist while accentuating the positive: focusing less on the differences and the failures, but naming the successes, the steps taken towards dialogue and fellowship and common action with our sisters and brothers in this parish, in neigbouring parishes, in the diocese, and with all our fellow believers in Christ.   For Christ has entrusted us with a mission: to proclaim today, in our world, to the people of our time, the saving power of God. 

Differences of opinion, of focus, of emphasis are not necessarily a bad thing.  This is true in ecumenical dialogue, of course, but it is no less true when confronting differences within our own church, our own society, our own church communities and even families.  As St. Paul reminds us, each member of the body has his or her own unique function and place: within the Body of Christ, there is a healthy interdependence.  But there is One Head: Jesus Christ.  When we lose sight of Christ, when our role or function or vision becomes detached or separated from the whole – that is, from Jesus as Head, as the One providing the vision and focus and inspiration – then the whole Body suffers.  We are many parts, but we are all One Body, animated by the One Spirit. 

Our Gospel today gives us two answers to the divisions that continually threaten us.  Jesus says to us: REPENT! Be converted.  The Kingdom of heaven has come near. Let Jesus lead you from darkness into light.  Reconnect with his Gospel, his preaching of the Kingdom of God.  Give your life to Jesus, and not to kingdoms of your own making, not to the agendas of pressure and lobby groups, whether social, political, ecclesiastical, or otherwise.  Be converted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus also says to us: FOLLOW ME!  What – or who – do we choose to follow?  This leader? (I am for Cephas, Apollos, Paul …) That ideology?  A profound attachment to the rightness of my own opinions?   We are challenged by the Gospel today to make a choice: to follow not any earthly leader or ideology, but to enrol under the standard of Christ, our Saviour and Friend, who reveals to us the true face of God: infinite, unconditional, unbreakable love.  The same Jesus who walked along the seashore of Galilee, who called James and John, Peter and Andrew, and billions of others throughout the centuries to become his disciples, also walks along the seashore of my world, my community, my life.  He says to you, and to me: “Come, follow me.”  He invites you, and me: be my disciple; become part of my community; know the loving face of my Father; share in my mission.  As the parable reminds us, there are still shipwrecks happening, still lives to be saved.  Christ is counting on you, on me, on all of us.

As the disciples began to follow Jesus, they would come to know his mission more intimately: teaching and preaching, proclaiming Good News of justice and peace for all God’s people, forgiving and reconciling, healing and restoring to wholeness.   That is the mission.  It is not about being right.  It is not about forming cliques that reinforce us in being right and proving others wrong.  It is about being profoundly united with Jesus, in his life and death and Resurrection, and embracing his call to share on his mission.

Before going to his Passion and Death out of love for us, Jesus uttered one final heartfelt prayer: “Father, may they all be one, as you are one with me and I with you.” Today still, this prayer of Jesus rings out anew.  Catholic or Orthodox, Anglican or Lutheran, United or Presbyterian, Baptist or Pentecostal, mainstream or free-church – Father, may they all be one.   French-speaking or English-speaking, black or brown or white, native-born or immigrant, young or old, rich or poor, professional or working-class, traditional or progressive, convert or cradle Catholic, able-bodied or disabled, righteous or sinner, male or female – Father, may they all be one! 

This kind of unity doesn’t just happen naturally, by osmosis.  It is the fruit of hard work, and negotiation, and compromise, and a real willingness to understand and appreciate not only my own point of view, but that of my partner in dialogue: especially when that partner is a brother or sister in Christ.  In Fr. Mike’s installation liturgy, I will accompany him around the different parts of the church – narthex, font, confessional, ambry, ambo, altar - where he will be welcomed by those with whom he shares in ministering to this community: myself as episcopal vicar, a link with the Archbishop in whose authority and service he shares; but also Deacon Marco, the parish staff, the board of wardens, the pastoral council, the leadership team, and all of you, the members of this community who are all called to share in the life-saving work of the Gospel entrusted to all of us as missionary-disciples.

So let us continue to work toward this unity together – here in this parish of St. Ignatius of Loyola, here in the Archdiocese of Montreal, here in this neighbourhood and city, so that our Church may truly become a sign and source of unity throughout the world, so that we may bring to reality the heartfelt prayer of Jesus still today: “Father, may they all be one.”  May we make our own this prayer of commitment:

Prayer of commitment