Positive and upbeat is how I feel today - up to a point! The lunchtime Prayers for Unity (a new, local, once a month initiative) was well attended with more than 30 bums on the pews in St Francis Xavier's - although the cynic in me wondered if the fact that it was in SFX's meant that the RC "turn up for everything that Fr does" gang would boost the numbers artificially. Possibly the case, although I was pleased to see two of the faces were RC parishioners who I know were originally Anglican. It's good when a change of allegiance doesn't lead to a rejection of generous openness to your former tradition.
All this ecumenism turns my mind to what it was that inspired me to it in the 1st place. I suppose being part of a family where your dad's Protestant, but non Church going, uncle would drive his devout RC wife to Mass every Sunday and sit outside in the car reading the Sunday Post until she was finished was a start. Having a brother who is a member of a flute band but who married an RC adds to the picture of knowing what I like and value in my own faith but wanting to share in the riches of others traditions. When I say say ecumenism I don't mean the content with a hymn sandwich, we're all the same really mushy type of ecumenism but a genuine open and sharing type. No prejudice but I really don't want to be a Presbyterian, nor could I cope with being an RC but I do want us all to work together more and to share more fully in the work of Christ and the fellowship of the Church as it is meant to be. Ideally full inter communion - but that is a very long way off. And it'll never happen if we don't work for it now. We may not live to see it in our days but we will see it and rejoice from the heavenly ringside seats!
All this ecumenism turns my mind to what it was that inspired me to it in the 1st place. I suppose being part of a family where your dad's Protestant, but non Church going, uncle would drive his devout RC wife to Mass every Sunday and sit outside in the car reading the Sunday Post until she was finished was a start. Having a brother who is a member of a flute band but who married an RC adds to the picture of knowing what I like and value in my own faith but wanting to share in the riches of others traditions. When I say say ecumenism I don't mean the content with a hymn sandwich, we're all the same really mushy type of ecumenism but a genuine open and sharing type. No prejudice but I really don't want to be a Presbyterian, nor could I cope with being an RC but I do want us all to work together more and to share more fully in the work of Christ and the fellowship of the Church as it is meant to be. Ideally full inter communion - but that is a very long way off. And it'll never happen if we don't work for it now. We may not live to see it in our days but we will see it and rejoice from the heavenly ringside seats!
And tonight it's off with the inter-Church social group (the Wanderlings) to try out the food at the Four Mary's in Linlithgow. Restaurant review to follow!
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