“When we will no longer be afraid”

Messages from Card. Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, Justin Welby, Primate of the Anglican Church, and Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, to the Bishops of various Churches who are friends of the Focolare Movement during the conference “Dare to be one”.

“Abide in me and I in you” (John 15:4). An eloquent image, that of the vine and the branches that accompanies Jesus’ invitation to His disciples. A call to “remain” in order to bear fruit, the same call that nourished the International Conference of Bishops friends of the Focolare, from different Christian Churches, held in Castel Gandolfo in these days, entitled: “Dare to be one. The gift of unity in a divided world”.

In his message to this meeting, Cardinal Kurt Koch, President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, said that receiving this gift in the context of an Ecumenical commitment, “is part of the mission of Bishops which is to be at the service of unity but not only of the unity of their own Church, but of the unity of all those who have been baptized in the name of the Triune God. Baptism unites us to Christ and makes us members of his one body”. Encouraging the Bishops of the various Churches who are united in following the way of mutual love to face the challenges of the world, he underlined the fundamental role that prayer plays, saying: “We Christians are not capable of achieving unity with our own strength alone. We Christians are capable of producing divisions, as history and, unfortunately, even the present still demonstrate. Unity, on the other hand, can only exist as a gift. (…) we must always reflect on the fact that that Jesus did not command unity from his disciples, nor did he request it from them, but he prayed for unity”.

Aiming to be one in Him and with our brother means becoming a living flame, a lantern, a source of light that attracts whoever is next to us. This is the true meaning of this meeting: to bring that light out into the world. Such a hope is also expressed in the words of the Most Reverend and Honorable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury: “‘Dare to be One’ touches the lives of many Christians, encouraging them to grow in mutual communion. (…) The world has never needed Christian unity as much as it does today. In times of environmental crisis and global pandemic, not to mention the many economic and political challenges facing the world, it is increasingly clear that no one is safe until everyone is safe and that our actions really do affect each other. Unity among Christians can be the cement that consolidates the solidarity of human beings, to become, therefore, the foundation of lasting solutions”.

In order for “all to be one” it is therefore necessary to make concrete choices, to live dialogue, to take care of others, recognizing them as brothers. The message to the Bishops at the meeting from His Holiness Bartholomew, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome, Ecumenical Patriarch, outlined a route which, thanks to the pages of the Gospel of Matthew (Mt.14:24-33) gives hope and comfort: “In the course of history the boat of the disciples of Jesus has encountered contrary winds and storms; even among the disciples of Jesus themselves, oppositions, enmities and persecutions often burst out and still arise. (…) In the parable, Jesus walks on the water going towards the disciples (…): “Courage, it is I, do not be afraid”. (…) If we have courage, then we will not be afraid to enter into dialogue with one another, because we all belong to Christ (…). When we are no longer afraid, we will not need courage, because we will be one of the only One, gathered around the banquet table with the Bread and Wine of He who will say to us, “It is I”.

Maria Grazia Berretta