The first principle of the Ordinariate is then about Christian unity. St. Basil the Great, the Church’s greatest ecumenist, literally expended his life on the work of building bridges between orthodox brethren who shared a common faith, but who had become separated from one another in a Church badly fragmented by heresy and controversy. He taught that the work of Christian unity requires deliberate and ceaseless effort...St. Basil often talked with yearning about the archaia agape, the ancient love of the apostolic community, so rarely seen in the Church of his day. This love, he taught, is a visible sign that the Holy Spirit is indeed present and active, and it is absolutely essential for the health of the Church.

- Msgr. Jeffrey Steenson, Homily on the Occasion of his Formal Institution as Ordinary

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

"I'm not hurrying. I'm just walking fast..."

Fr. Phillips writes on his blog:
When the text of Anglicanorum coetibus was made public, I had no hesitation at all in wanting to be part of an Ordinariate. I happened to be in Rome at the time of the announcement, and I excitedly called my archbishop and said to him that I wanted to send in a request right away. His response was, "What's your hurry?"

His question didn't make any sense to me. In fact, I pondered it all the way back from Rome. But I think I've figured it out.

He knows me as a pastor, and us as a parish, because we're part of his archdiocese, just like his other priests and parishes. Sure, we have a different liturgical use. But heck, when you go around the archdiocese you'd swear that every single parish has its own liturgical use. He knows that we're loyal to him as our archbishop. He knows our school as one of the finest in the archdiocese, recognized nationally as an excellent educational institution. We pay our money on time. We're supportive of archdiocesan programs, such as pro-life efforts, the apostolate to the homeless and needy, the seminary, and a host of other things. When he visits the parish we welcome him as our spiritual Father-in-God. And then he gets a call from me, all excited about the new Apostolic Constitution, and the possibility of becoming part of an Ordinariate. I didn't stop to think that he hadn't been particularly waiting for this development. In fact, it hasn't been on his radar screen at all. So when he hears me, naturally his first reaction is, "What's your hurry?"

The thing is, the immediate desire to be part of an Ordinariate isn't hurrying at all. We've been working for this and praying for this for some thirty years...

Read the rest at Atonement Online.

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