Will Every Knee Bow?

It was described as a message in which the Pope “disclosed his hopes.” [1] Archbishop Stanislaw Rylko, president of the Pontifical Council for the Laity, read the message at the 11th International Conference of the Catholic Fraternity of Charismatic Covenant Communities and Fellowships.

The pope’s message was intended for Catholic Charismatic groups all over the world. However, the message may actually have had a wider “intended” audience. You see “charismatic” is a term that crosses Catholic and Protestant boundaries.

The message appeals to Charismatics "to be committed in this Eucharistic Year to take initiatives so that the Eucharist will become increasingly a factor of union and cohesion in the People of God, in this world marked by violence and division." [2]

Perhaps you are not aware. Pope John Paul II declared the Year of the Eucharist beginning October, 2004 and ending October, 2005. The Year of the Eucharist is in keeping with the “New Evangelization” program Pope John Paul II previously instituted, promoting the objective to win the world to the Eucharistic Jesus and the Roman Catholic Church.

Now, I realize when I mention the term Eucharistic Jesus, there will be some who have no idea what this means. The Eucharistic Jesus is the Jesus (according to Roman Catholic teaching) that appears at Mass when a priest performs the act of transubstantiation. It is this Eucharistic Jesus the pope has asked Roman Catholics to promote.

At the opening of the meeting, Matteo Calisi, president of the Catholic Fraternity said that the new challenge is to spread the Eucharistic message, confirm the presence of Christ in society, and give hope to a world that is ever more secularized. [3]

Note the twofold message – to promote unity around the Eucharistic Jesus and spread the message about the Eucharistic Jesus to “the world.”

This causes me to ponder. How do Protestant Charismatics perceive the “New Evangelization” program that will require embracing the Eucharistic Christ? Will they accept this Roman Catholic “Jesus” or reject? What if down the road, signs and wonders begin to happen? What if manifestations of the Eucharistic Jesus are associated with healings and the casting out of demons? What if these miracles and appearances were so convincing, people of other faiths were drawn to an experience-based “Christianity” which eventually causes them to bow to the Eucharist?

My attention was directed to another article from Zenit. In fact it was issued the very same day (October 31, 2004) Zenit had released the article reporting the pope was encouraging Christian unity focused on the Eucharistic Jesus.[4]

This second article was titled “

U.S.

Bishops to Consider Ecumenical Forum.” [5] This article was about a group a new ecumenical forum founded in the USA called “Christian Churches Together”. This entity has a goal to include all major Christian evangelical denominations and the Roman Catholic Church.

According to the article, “Christian Churches Together” had invited the Roman Catholic Church to be a part of their group. As the article stated, the Bishops were planning to make a decision at their next Bishop’s assembly, November 2004, whether or not they would join.

The new entity, CCT-USA, is intended to include all the major Christian denominations in the country, including Pentecostals and evangelicals. Its stated purpose is "To enable churches and national Christian organizations to grow closer together in Christ in order to strengthen our Christian witness in the world." [6]

Now, in case you are wondering why the Roman Catholic Church had been invited to join with CCT-USA, (founded by Pentecostals and evangelicals) the article itself makes this clear:

While CCT-USA would not be able to speak on behalf of any participant without its agreement, it would bring Catholic teachings into a wider ecumenical community, says the proposal. It also notes that the Holy See encourages Catholic participation in ecumenical entities of this type. [7]

Further, the Zenit article indicated CCT-USA was open to broadening their Protestant evangelical horizons. The article stated:

Discussions among US church leaders about the possibility of forming a new ecumenical organization that would provide a "broader table" than the one provided by the National Council of Churches (NCC) began in 2001. The leadership of the NCC had recognized that since its member churches represent only about one-third of the Christians in the United States , a fuller and broader ecumenical witness was needed. [8]

So what would this “broader table” that promises to produce a “broader ecumenical witness” eventually look like? Where would the Eucharistic Jesus, the heart and core of the Roman Catholic Church, be placed?

Finally, it appears that unity between Rome and the CCT is a forgone conclusion. As the Zenit article stated:

At a meeting hosted by Cardinal William Keeler in Baltimore , participants arrived at a consensus that a broader structure of some kind would be beneficial by its inclusion of the Catholic Church and major evangelical and Pentecostal groups that do not belong to the NCC. It was decided at that meeting to call the proposed new entity "The Christian Churches Together in the USA ." [9]

Well, for now, these are just some things for you to think about. Remember, Jesus warned us to be careful not to be deceived in the days before He returned.[10] And keep your eyes on CCT-USA or whatever the organization is called in the future. Remember the Bible calls for Christian unity, but unity must be based on the truth.

[1] Zenit, October 31, 2004, “Charismatics Urged to Promote Eucharist as Bond of Unity,” http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=61224

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid.

[5] Zenit , U.S. Bishops to Consider New Ecumenical Forum, http://www.zenit.org/english/visualizza.phtml?sid=61229

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid.

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Matthew 24

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