A Brush with Ecumenism

God must be having a laugh. I was in the medical school today, quietly eating my lunch in an equally quiet common room. Gradually it began to fill up with medical students (little whipper-snappers compared to my veteran 6 years at the place) and I even got chatting with a Catholic girl from the chaplaincy.

After a short while, and a full common room, someone stood up and announced, "Let's get started everyone!" Without realising it, I was in the middle of a Christian Union (CMF) bible meeting! There were certainly lots of people there, I was quite impressed. They were even encouraging people to attend an 8am prayer group; this morning attended by eight people! It made me think: how I'd planned to get to an 8am mass this morning, but failed due to my idleness... and that was to prospectively receive Christ's body, blood, soul and divinity! How ungrateful I am.

I ended up staying; first to finish my lunch, then to get the dusty bible out of my bag and go through some verses on "peace". I was disappointed to see they didn't include my personal favourite saying of Jesus on peace, from St. Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 10 verses 34-35:

Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth: I came not to send peace, but the sword. For I came to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law.

I put this forward to the group and learned that the BBC have recently used it out of context (why does that not surprise me?). This is what the Douay-Rheims bible tells us:

Not that this was the end or design of the coming of our Saviour; but that his coming and his doctrine would have this effect, by reason of the obstinate resistance that many would make, and of their persecuting all such as should adhere to him.

I am always impressed with the way this edition of the bible succinctly sets verses in context, especially Old Testament ones. Our discussion was interesting, but on reflection I realised that I was picking my words and being careful not to give the game away that I was Catholic! This is a terrible thing, and I fear it's what often happens with ecumenism. To 'get along', we Catholics are pressured to take our religion down to the lowest common denominator and forget those beautiful things which make our faith so rich and vibrant.

Have my remarks about the CMF come back to haunt me? Is God trying to tell me something?

St. Joseph, pray for me and our seperated brethren!