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Poge 4 • Folth Todoy
ON PILGRIMAGE
“Christ's call to unity
is at the same time a
call to holiness and a
call to greater love. It is
a call for us to render our
witness more authentic. "
(Pope John Paul II in Col
umbia, S.C., 1987)
t JT What is your picture of the
ecumenical movement?
Does your mind conjure up the
image of a group of theological
experts gathered around a table to
discuss their important areas of
disagreement — a group that at
the conclusion of its deliberations
will publish a progress report?
That is a key activity of
ecumenism. So are the actions in
which Christians of different
denominations join together to
help create a more just world; in
the process of their work they
begin to understand each other in
a new way.
But there is another aspect of
ecumenism to consider. Steps to
renew Christian communities and
to discover how Christianity .can
become a motivating factor in or
dinary life are ecumenical steps.
This is what Pope John Paul II
was suggesting when he said dur
ing an ecumenical meeting in Col
umbia, S.C., that “it is not dif
ficult to see how the internal
renewal and purification” of the
life of Christian communities “is
essential to any progress we may
make toward unity ... Only by
becoming more faithful disciples
of Jesus Christ can we hope to
travel the path of unity.”
There are many who desire this
sort of renewal today, the pope
indicated. There is a “spiritual
yearning” among people. “In a
word, it is a yearning f or deeper
insights into our Chris 1 ian identity
and, consequently, foi a renewal”
of Christian communities.
The fact is, the ecumenical
movement is not the endeavor of
static, motionless groups. Instead,
this movement involves people
who are alive, dynamic.
For Pope John Paul, what
enlivens them is the desire to
grow in the acceptance of “Jesus
Christ as the Lord of (their) lives.”
Progress in this direction can help
to empty divided Christians “of
any negative thinking about each
other,” said the pope.
Often the ecumenical movement
is nerceived as an activity for
others to carry on — the province
of experts. But it is more than that.
The ecumenical movement is an
ongoing process. In their efforts
to mature as Christians, all the
members of Christian communities
further the ecumenical move
ment’s goals.
What these people discover is
that while there are real points of
division among them, there is also
a shared desire to grow in Chris
tian faith.
mmmm CHILDREN'S PLACE —
A woman of strong convictions
By Janaan Manternach
NC News Service
S imone Weil was born a
sickly child in Paris in
1909- Her father, a suc
cessful doctor, and her
mother did all they could
for her. But suffering was a con
stant part of her life.
Maybe it was because of her suf
fering that Simone felt the pain of
others so strongly. She became a
sensitive, shy youngster.
Her Jewish parents encouraged
her to learn all she could. As a
teen-ager, Simone became very in
terested in politics. She wanted to
find ways to help the poor and
powerless. She learned all she
could about why so many people
are poor, why there are wars, why
there is so much injustice.
Simone decided to become a
teacher. Clumsy and awkward, suf
fering almost continual migraine
headaches, she paid little attention
to her appearance. But her brilliant
mind, her compassion and her con
victions made a deep impression
on students.
Simone believed strongly that she
must live according to what she
believed. She actively demonstrated
for the unemployed, for workers’
rights, for the poor. She ate only
what those on welfare could afford.
To share more closely the lives
of poor working people, Simone
left the classroom to work in a fac
tory. She felt like a slave and wrote
articles about how powerful people
become rich through the inhuman
work forced on the poor.
When war broke out in Spain in
1936, Simone joined the struggle
for freedom. Because as a pacifist
she so strongly opposed war. she
served as a cook. The horrible suf
fering of the wounded shocked
her.
She visited Italy to relax and
recover. In Rome she experienced
the beauty of Catholic worship for
the first time. In Assisi she felt
God’s presence as never before.
Then, back in France, at the
monastery of Solesmes, still suffer
ing from agonizing headaches,
Simone experienced Christ’s love
so strongly that it changed her life
“I only felt in the midst of my
suffering...the presence of love,”
she wrote afterward.
She read the Gospels. But she
never actually joined the church.
Simone moved with her parents
to New York in May 1942. She
studied nursing so she could go to
England to care for wounded
soldiers. She spent hours in prayer
and went to Mass each Sunday
In November she sailed for
England. Not allowed to go to the
war zones, she worked hard from a
London office for war victims. Her
practical rule for how to love those
who suffer was to ask them,
“What are you going through?”
Finally her poor health gave out.
At 34, she developed tuberculosis
and died of a heart attack on Aug.
24, 1943.
(Ms. Manternach is the author of
catechetical works, scripture stories
and original stories for children.)
-'W*W
Hidden
Words
Find the words hid
den in the puzzle.
They may be ver
tical, horizontal or
diagonal. All the
words ore found in
this week's story.
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FRANCE. POOR. SIMONE, JEVISH. SICKLY. TEACHER
What do you think?
□ Simone Weil was a compassionate person. What were some
signs of her compassion? What are some ways in which you have
the opportunity to be compassionate toward others?
From the bookshelf
Believers of different faith traditions share many things in com
mon. In a book called People to Remember, by Janaan Manter
nach and Carl J. Pfeifer, the story of Pope John XXIII is told, along
with a number of other stories. It was he who helped to open up
a window of understanding between members of the Catholic
Church and Christians of other denominations. Pope John XXIII
continues to make a difference today in the respect Catholics
show for those of other religious traditions and the efforts made
by Catholics to bring about greater unity among all Christians.
(Paulist Press, 997 Macarthur Blvd., Mahwah, N.J. 07430.1987.
Paperback, $4.94.)