For the gift of diversity in the Church – The Pope Video
Recognising the gift of the diversity of charisms
As a prayer intention for January, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network suggests giving thanks for the gift of diversity in the Church. Pope Francis specifically invites us to appreciate the diversity of charisms, traditions and rites in the Churches. He emphasises that diversity and unity should go hand in hand, and we must not be afraid of it.
There is no need to fear the diversity of charisms in the Church. Rather, living this diversity should make us rejoice!
Diversity and unity were already very much present in the first Christian communities. The tension had to be resolved on a higher level.
But there’s more. To move forward on the journey of faith, we also need ecumenical dialogue with our brothers and sisters of other confessions and Christian communities.
This is not something confusing or disturbing, but is a gift God gives to the Christian community so it might grow as one body, the Body of Christ.
Let’s think, for example, of the Eastern Churches. They have their own traditions, their own characteristic liturgical rites…yet they maintain the unity of the faith. They strengthen it, not divide it.
If we are guided by the Holy Spirit, abundance, variety, diversity, never cause conflict.
The Holy Spirit reminds us first and foremost that we are children loved by God – everyone equal in God’s love, and everyone different.
Let us pray that the Spirit help us recognize the gift of different charisms within the Christian communities, and to discover the richness of different ritual traditions within the Catholic Church.
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Let us pray that the dignity and worth of women be recognized in every culture, and for an end to the discrimination they face in various parts of the world.
Let us pray that those who risk their lives for the Gospel in various parts of the world might imbue the Church with their courage and missionary drive.
Let us pray that the sick who are in the final stages of life, and their families, receive the necessary medical and human care and accompaniment.
Let us pray that people with disabilities may be at the center of attention in society, and that institutions offer inclusion programs that enhance their active participation.
Let us pray for the Pope, so that in the exercise of his mission, he may continue to accompany in the faith the flock entrusted to him by Jesus, always with the help of the Holy Spirit.
On Wednesday, 4 October, Pope Francis has issued his Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum (Praise God), a follow-up statement on ecology to his Encyclical Laudato si’ on the Care of Our Common Home, which was issued eight years ago.
