April 3, 2005 - A Man
For Unity With a Good and Humble Heart
Comments by the Rev. Dr. Diane C. Kessler, Executive Director of the Massachusetts
Council of Churches, on the death of Pope John Paul II
In the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church in Rome he said, “We
do not live to ourselves, and we do not die to ourselves. If we live, we live
to the Lord, and if we die, we die to the Lord; so then, whether we live or
whether we die, we are the Lord’s.” We are strengthened by this
sure and certain faith that “whether we live or whether we die, we are
the Lord’s.” The religious leaders and people affiliated with the
Massachusetts Council of Churches extend our heartfelt condolences to the Roman
Catholic Church and all its members on the loss of this energetic and humble
religious leader, and we pray that his longing for reconciliation will be a
continuing inspiration to all people everywhere.
Whatever else can be said about
the pontificate of Pope John Paul II—and
it has been a long and creative period—his commitment to foster Christian
unity will be one of his outstanding legacies. The papal encyclical “Ut
Unum Sint” (That All May Be One), issued in 1995 and reportedly shaped
considerably by his own hand, is a comprehensive and heart-felt chart that
builds on previous work and points the way forward in concrete, challenging
ways. The language soars and inspires. In a number of ways, many of the initiatives
that he took with churches of the East and West, some of which were more fruitful
than others, were foreshadowed in this text.
John Paul II was willing to take
risks for Christian unity. His energetic spirit transformed ecumenical longings
into concrete actions. He saw the connection
between head change and heart work. He articulated this connection with theological
substance and ringing clarity.
One of my favorite quotes from that encyclical
is “Jesus himself, at
the hour of his passion, prayed ‘that they may all be one’ (Jn.
17:21). This unity, which the Lord has bestowed on his church and in which
he wishes to embrace all people, is not something added on, but stands at the
very heart of Christ’s mission. Nor is it some secondary attribute
of the community of his disciples. Rather, it belongs to the very essence
of this
community. God wills the church because he wills unity, and unity is an expression
of the whole depth of his agape.
We can give no more fitting testimony
to his life and ministry than to continue to carry out the ecumenical mandate
about which he cared with such unreserved
passion. We know that God will bless this man for unity with the good and
humble heart.
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