The Ecumenical issue is an important part of my life, and ministry. I agree with John Paul II, when he said the work takes great patience! Let us continue to dialogue rather than argue, share rather than proselytize, and invite rather than push.

As I say, "Come on in, the water's fine, but let's not push anyone into the pool!" It is OK to invite people to faith in God, Jesus, the Church, or your particular community or ministry in the Church. But it is not OK to force, or rush them into the Faith.

We are to accompany and help, not force and push. This simple change in attitude can open us to breaking through so many of the walls that have divided us for centuries. This attitude is, no doubt, behind the recent historic breakthrough between Catholic and Lutheran theologians who, on behalf of their respective churches, proclaimed that the issue of Justification, which was the theological wedge that caused the break between Catholics and Protestants in the first place, has now been resolved.

Catholics and Protestants agree on the issue that caused the split in the first place. Justification is by faith, and works, for if faith is real it will have a real effect on the works of a person's actual life. If works are really from Christ, they must flow from faith. You simply cannot separate the two.

Now all we have to do is put back together all of the other subsequent differences that flowed from that! As we can see, it may yet take some more time! Yet that may come. As some Lutheran bishops have been reported to say, the Catholic Church has changed all that we were protesting, so there is nothing to "protest" anymore. If that is the case, it is only a matter of time, yet God's time, before we get back together in a way that God originally intended for his people. Let us all be patient as we work together in the love and truth of Jesus

John Paul II, and Vatican II teach that the priority in ecumenical relations is the Orthodox first, followed by relations with the Protestants. Relations with non-Christians is not called ecumenism, but inter faith.

As to the Orthodox, the Pope teaches that in the Body of Christ, the Church has two lungs, the East and the West, and that we of the West have only been breathing from one lung for a long time. This leads to an unhealthy body. He encourages us to learn to breath with BOTH lungs again in order for the Body of Christ to be in full good health!

The Pope has repeatedly reached out to the Patriarchs of the Orthodox churches, who are also successors to the Apostles. Many have responded in an open and brotherly way.  Some are still quite resistant.

The theological issues are complicated, but great strides have been made between the Roman and Orthodox Christians. In particular, Rome has addressed the primary issue of the added words to the Nicene Creed in the West (Catholic and Protestant), in a way that agrees with the Orthodox, but also attempts to explain the development of the West in a way the East can understand.

Let us continue to pray for attitudes of great mutual respect and love between Roman Catholic and Orthodox Christians, beginning with ourselves.

Personally, I find the monastic tradition of the East quite wonderful. My book, Meditations From Solitude, hopefully explains this to western readers in a way that they can better understand.

On The Morning Prayer Discipline
John Michael Talbot

To do this I recommend taking about 20-30 minutes a day in the morning for prayer. You could do sacred reading, or lectio divina, for a few minutes based on the readings of the day. Then allow yourself to pass over into meditation on the text with the positive use of your imagination. Then allow yourself to pass over effortlessly into passive contemplation. Here you just be with he who IS.

There are no words or feelings or ideas. As a great Saint once said, "I look at Him, and He looks at me." This is the perfect gaze of love for one another.

I have found that just a few good minutes of real contemplation are enough to prepare me for most of the issues that arise in the ministry of a given day. But if I do not take that 20-30 minute period, I cannot get to those few precious minutes of contemplation. After a few days without this I revert back to my old self of self centeredness and ego pretty quickly. Then my ministry begins to suffer and dry up as well.

On Obedience To The Church
John Michael Talbot

We are always called to be obedient, or to "listen humbly" from the depths of our being, to the teachings that come with such weight of deliberation of the Spirit by so many. The average Church pronouncement comes after months and years of dialogue with thousands of holy and highly trained individuals from all states of life relevant to the issue. Generally, most of these people are at least as holy as we are! We are not to easily disagree with such a witness.

The Magisterium sometimes can be wrong in ordinary teaching, but we believe that extra ordinary teachings are kept by the grace of God from error. They are infallible. The ordinary teachings are indefectible. This means that we might sometimes veer from left to right, but the body manages to go forward in a straight line! Therefore, unless the ordinary teaching is in clear violation of faith and morality as understood in shaping one's conscience, we are urged to follow it without making scandal or division. If we must be disobedient in our obedience to God and conscience, we must do so without disrespecting the authority of the Magisterium in all other matters. We are also willing to bear the just consequence of our ecclesial disobedience, such as abstinence from Communion, without anger, hurt, or casting blame. This is the true prophet's call in the New Testament. There have been many saints who did this, or similar things, in their love for God and the Church. The key here is humility, which causes great obedience in almost all things within the Church.

This silent spirit and humble heart of obedience are sometimes difficult. Obedience sometimes brings suffering. But suffering in Christ is redemptive, and always builds faith when approached with faith. Obedience like this is a self sacrifice, which is the way of divine love as expressed through the Cross and Resurrection of Christ.

Even with a disobedient Bishop or Cleric, we always approach with great reverence out of respect for the office, and the years of service by the person. If we disagree, we do so privately, or in a way that clearly shows that are motivation is not angry or personal. If we could not participate in a liturgy, which would be very rare, we would not absent ourselves in anger, or rudeness, but always with great respect and love. If we correct a cleric, or anyone, it is always best done in private. This was the way of St. Francis.

May we be humble servants in all that we do. Let us always take the lesser part, and so find the greater things of God through Christ our Lord.