We Have Much in Common

We Catholics, both the Latin Church and 22 Eastern Catholic Churches, profess we are one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church that Christ founded. As such, we are not a denomination; we are pre-denominational, the original Church of Christ. But since the Reformation or even before, we Christians have disagreed on so many things – liturgy, how to worship, articles of faith, interpretation of Scripture, moral teachings – the list, unfortunately, goes on. Once the wheels of disunity were set in motion, the impulse to split seemed to take on a life of its own until today, by many accounts, there are more than 40,000 Christian denominations. Sometimes we Christians appear more fractious than brotherly. In January, addressing a gathering of Pentecostals via YouTube, Pope Francis said that all Christians are to blame for their divisions and that he prays to the Lord “that he will unite us all.” But in today’s Gospel, John 9: 1-41 holds a great opportunity to honor how we are all brethren in devotion to our Lord and spreading the Good News.

 

Once in a great while, we are caught up in a cause or a movement that unifies all Christians – human rights, defeating Nazism or the Soviet Union, stopping apartheid, civil rights or abolishing slavery and (increasingly so) ending abortion. We can rally round the great social justice issues and even, sometimes, be galvanized by a song when tragedy like 9/11 befalls us; a hymn because the times simply call for it as they did in the fractured society of 1970.

Arguably, the most familiar and beloved hymn of modern times is “Amazing Grace” by the 18^th century hymnist and Anglican priest, John Newton. Its themes are so universal, profoundly resonant and familiar to readers of the Bible perhaps because of the story of John Newton himself: a slave trader converted to Christianity who eventually became a minister, a vocal abolitionist and who penned the hymn to be sung by his own congregation. He was experimenting with what at the time was a relatively new form of religious song, the Protestant hymn.

The hymn was published many times in the U.S. during the 19^th century. Its popularity grew during the last century coinciding with the invention and popularity of recorded music, then exploded into pop music becoming a Top 10 Hit with Judy Collins’s 1970 a capella recording. The majority of the 450 recordings held by the Library of Congress were made after 1970 and include versions by artists as varied as Elvis Presley, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Tiny Tim, Al Green, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Chet Baker and Destiny’s Child.

Eventually, of course, the hymn found its way into Catholic hymnals, our own included, and the Catholic worship song repertoire.

We are mindful of it today because of our Gospel reading in which the beggar, blind from birth, gains sight for the first time and says, “One thing I do know is that I was blind and now I see.”

Evangelizing Challenge This Week

Talk with family about how much we believe in common and practice in common with our friends and neighbors of other faith traditions. Start with the words on the change in your pocket or the currency in your wallet.

Catholic Apps

 Catholic’s Companion. Precious few apps are available for this format, but this one will hold you over until more come on the scene for the Windows Phone. It is most comprehensive as an all-in-one Catholic app holding many different resources like the most common prayers, rosary, bible, audio bible, daily mass readings, mass online, prayer reminders, journals, news and a breviary! WindowsPhone8 – Free.

 Pewsitter is an app version of the popular Catholic news website that relies upon user generated content and traditional media sources. The site features audio, video and print news items. If you are interested in keeping up to date on what is happening in “Catholic World,” this app is essential. Based on the ground-breaking Drudge Report format, it offers up-to-date news, sometimes within minutes of it occurring anywhere in the world. iOS and Android - Free