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In our community, the different Christian
faiths meet once a month in a different church
to celebrate the Christian faith on a rotating
basis. It seems, the Catholic Churches are
included in the rotation as sites of inter-denominational
gatherings.
These gatherings last an hour
and I assume they have a couple different talks
from different priests (and|or) ministers
with song and maybe a skit thrown in. Once
a year, in town, there is a Festival of Faith
at the college coliseum or performing arts
center.
Do you see any danger or irregularity
in these gatherings?
Signed,
Cathy Karlin
{
Is
there anything wrong about celebrating
the Christian faith at inter-denominational
gatherings? }
Mike
replied:
Hi Cathy,
I'm assuming in your question, that
all the Catholics in your area are
fulfilling their Sunday obligation
by attending Sunday Mass at their
local Catholic parish. One cannot fulfill their Sunday obligation by attending an inter-denominational
gathering.
You said: Once
a year, in town, there is a Festival of Faith
at the college coliseum or performing arts
center.
If there is no Mass at the festival
of faith, I see nothing wrong. Protestants attending a Catholic Mass at the Festival could signify a Common Union that does not exist between us. Anything that would equate the
Catholic Faith and Her teachings
with that of other Christian faiths
and beliefs would be wrong. This usually comes across
in talks with such false statements
like:
"We are all one family anyway."
"We are all going to the
same place anyway."
"One Christian faith is
just as good as the other, as
long as you love the Lord Jesus."
"It doesn't matter what
you believe."
Reply to bullet 1:
We are one family, but we have
a different set of beliefs. Saints
in the Early Church died for
the Catholic Faith that Catholics
hold on to today!
Reply to bullet 2:
If we are all going to the same
place, we don't have free will
to choose Heaven or Hell. Man has free
will.
Reply to bullet 3:
One Christian faith is not as
good as the other. Jesus only
found one Church, (Matthew 16:13-19) not 50,000 churches.
Loving the Lord is great, but
more is required. Developing one's:
conscience
knowledge of the
Bible
knowledge of Christian history and
the
Early Church Fathers
is also needed.
Reply to bullet 4: This is just a
dumb statement.
If these celebrations are being
equated with the Catholic Mass or
if these gatherings are rotational
worship services at different
non-Catholic and Catholic churches,
this is a grave problem that should
be brought to the local bishop's
attention. The spiritual realities that happen at a Sunday Catholic Mass do not compare at all to those at a Protestant church service.
To equate the two in any way is dead wrong.
Finally, it is important to stress, the Catholic faith is not a denomination. For someone to say the Catholic Church is a denomination, would be to imply that the Catholic faith is a branch (or part) of the whole, when, in reality, the Catholic faith is the whole — the only Christian faith that has the totality of what Jesus wants us to believe. The Catechism puts it this way:
830 The word catholic means universal, in the sense of according to the totality or in keeping with the whole. The Church is catholic in a double sense:
First, the Church is catholic because Christ is present in her.
"Where there is Christ Jesus, there is the Catholic Church."
In her subsists the fullness of Christ's body united with its head; this implies that she receives from him the fullness of the means of salvation. (Vatican II, Unitatis Redintegratio 3; Vatican II, Ad Gentes 6; Ephesians 1:22-23) which he has willed: correct and complete confession of faith, full sacramental life, and ordained ministry in Apostolic Succession.
The Church was, in this fundamental sense, catholic on the day of Pentecost (cf. Vatican II, Ad Gentes 4) and will always be so until the day of the Parousia.
Hope this helps.
If you have any other questions just
reply,
Mike
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