|
A Call to Unity
Steve Lavery from Dundee who is a member of the Committee of the Isles, which is made up of representatives of the National Service Committees for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, shares his thoughts on the significance of unity and reconciliation and what the Lord is doing at this time.
|
|
|
Since being baptised in the Holy Spirit I have always felt a call to community and a desire to be one with my brothers and sisters in the Lord. I think my earliest experience of hearing singing in tongues influenced my thinking. The unity of spirit experienced in praise I believe must permeate every aspect of our lives. It was within my prayer group too that I learned about fellowship and praise and was given the encouragement to grow in the charismatic gifts and develop life in the Holy Spirit. Why at this time do we sense this strong call to unity as countries and with other Christians? When I look around Charismatic Renewal, and by that I mean those prayer groups and communities who have links with Diocesan Service Teams and National Service Committees in the UK and Ireland, I am not aware of dangerous disunity. So why the call? I have come to the conclusion that this call is more about depth. How deep is our unity? Are we growing like the early Church to be of “one mind and heart”? “We were so united we were one” A number of years ago I faced a crisis in my life. I felt alone and desolate although I was surrounded by family and friends. My wife was there by my side but the words that changed everything were her words of love, “We are in this together and we will get through it.” I always knew she loved me but that simple sentence made it real. We were so united that we were one and, although I felt I didn’t deserve it, I found comfort, strength and consolation. Her commitment and sacrifice meant that she was sharing the cross of my making. Within my small community I have witnessed and experienced the healing power of unity. I have seen how great acts of forgiveness can bring freedom and healing. These acts of forgiveness came through shared prayer, unquestioning support and unconditional love. The unity of the group helped all involved to come to that place where they could forgive. Where there is unity you find the fruits of the Spirit. “Unity comes by first seeking union with God” This call to unity I believe is part of the sovereign work of the Holy Spirit and is, I believe, a call to a deep union that comes first by seeking union with God. In our prayer groups and communities, wherever we find fellowship, we must seek unity of spirit and we will do this by seeking union with Christ. Our prayer groups like the community in Acts must be schools of prayer. Within this fellowship we learn how to draw closer to Jesus and therefore closer to one another. Focusing on the Lord and seeking to do His Divine Will will draw groups together in unity. Realistically that would be easy if we were all saints but, unfortunately, we are not. This means we will experience difficult times. But that is good. If there were no difficulties and problems or disagreements then we would not be authentic or worse, we would not be alive. God’s Spirit is creative, always renewing, changing us, and making us saints. The Holy Spirit is dynamic and that means change. When people are renewed and grow in the Life of the Holy Spirit it means the dynamics within our groups change. It is within this living Body of Christ that we have to work to maintain unity which means that the focus is not on the targets or outcomes of our plans, but on the Lord. “Conflicts and disagreements inevitable” This is not easy as what we have planned, our mission, our service all contain part of us. Our ideas and talents are offered and, with these, part of ourselves. So to offer them and leave them and turn to the Lord may sound easy, but it calls us to the cross. Therefore, it is inevitable that we will face conflicts and disagreements. This is where the cross comes in. The individual lays aside his or her ownership of a situation and, dying to self, listens to the discernment of others. Even our most ‘holy’ good ideas and plans for the group must be offered in a sacrificial way. I suggest at this time that we are being called to a deeper unity within our groups and communities. Areas of division must be highlighted and dealt with. If I am corrected I should (and I use should advisedly) be able to receive it easily as I know it is given in love, without judgment and for the common good according to the Lord’s agenda. Each difficult moment dealt with in the right spirit can become a moment of growth and a moment of renewal. “The Holy Spirit is doing a new thing” I believe that as leaders within the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, we have been told to “widen our tents” and that the Holy Spirit is doing a new thing. If this is the case, then we in Catholic Charismatic Renewal should make ready with expectant faith. We have a duty to make ready and move forward together. If there is a need for forgiveness and reconciliation then this must be dealt with. An example of this was shown at the Newman Consultation two years ago when we grasped the history of our nations and asked for forgiveness. I believe this call to unity is part of the “new thing” and we must be obedient in working at and preserving unity. At the Committee of the Isles meetings we have
been holding over the past three years there has been a tremendous grace
of unity among us. This has been supported by our promise to one another
never to criticize each other. Thus we have become brothers and sisters
in a new way allowing the outpouring of the Spirit in a new way. Thus
when I read what is happening with the Life in the Spirit seminars in
Ireland I rejoice because I am part of that. When I hear about the Welsh
conference I rejoice because I was there in spirit. When I read of the
successes of Celebrate or New Dawn in England my heart pounds. Likewise
I hope that if there is a healing in Dundee your heart will beat with
gratitude too. We cannot unite as nations and reach out to other churches
and beyond if the heart of each person is not directed to the Lord.
Each one of us must accept his or her duty to preserve the unity of
the body. To become part of the united Body of Christ I am asked to
die to self and grow in humility. I have personally experienced the
healing that can pour out from a united small group and can only imagine
what blessings might pour out over our four nations if we in the Catholic
Charismatic Renewal unite across our lands.
|
|
|
 |
“May
they be one, Father!” Jesus exclaims in His priestly prayer, John
17: 21. Why? “So that the world will believe that you sent me.”
Unity is a basic ingredient of a Christian life and therefore a responsibility
of each disciple.