Five Ways – June 24

June 21, 2024

Many thanks to those who commented on the May 20 Five Ways. First, let us continue with Christian Joy, remembering that the Holy Spirit is the source of joy. Dad was listening to his child say his prayer “Dear Harold.” Dad interrupted and asked “How come you call God “Harold”? The little boy replied “We say Our Father who art in Heaven, Harold be Thy Name.” Another child prayed “And forgive us our trash baskets as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets” (from the late Fr. Gil Boucher, O.M.I.).

Secondly, it is important to pass on to our young people what happened 80 years ago June 6, 1944, D-Day, when 9,837 American soldiers died on the beaches of Normandy, France. Bishop Jacques Habert of Bayeux-Lisieux, whose diocese includes Normandy, said “The church is keen to pass on the duty of remembrance we owe to those who gave their lives at the time of the D-Day landings, especially to young people.” He spent all of June 6, 2024 with young people, listening to speakers.

On the evening of June 5, Bishop Habert welcomed a British delegation to the Bayeux Cathedral, including Princess Anne, sister of the British monarch, for an ecumenical liturgy with representatives of the Anglican (Episcopalian) Communion. Let us not hesitate to share with our young people what occurred on June 6, 1944.

And finally, we have an ecumenist, Nathan Ammon Smith, declaring that the ecumenical winter is over, an ecumenical spring is developing, bonded with evangelization. Each of the Christian Churches possesses features which the other does not have, and needs. All are on a pilgrimage of hope, led by the Holy Spirit. Smith sees the ecumenical spring because the Christian Churches are now more eager to receive and be transformed by their sister Christian Churches, for the sake of bringing the complete Jesus to our troubled world.

You may find Nathan Ammon Smith’s article “Receptive Ecumenism as Evangelization” on pages 14/70 – 19/75 in the current issue of Ecumenical Trends linked here – https://ecutrends.geii.org/members/Issues_PDF/May_Jun_24/Trends_May_Jun_2024.pdf

In Christ’s love,

Fr. Harry Winter, O.M.I.