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25 Nov 2012 - Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe, Cycle B

When Pope Pius XI instituted the celebration of Christ the King in 1925, he said that when humanity recognizes “that Christ is King, society will at last receive the great blessings of real liberty, well-ordered discipline, peace, and harmony.” It’s difficult to imagine the whole world accepting Christ’s kingship, but it was a remarkable statement. Last month, in a declaration called Ecumenism Now—One God, One Faith, One Church, a group of public figures from German politics, sports, culture, and entertainment said that the 500-year-old schism between the Catholic and Protestant churches in Germany was no longer sustainable theologically, ecclesiastically, politically, and culturally. “We cannot and should not allow the problem of church unity to rest until church leaders have reached an understanding of Holy Communion and administration,” they said. The unity of society, the pope said almost 90 years ago, depends on a shared faith in the reign of Christ. So perhaps, these German Christians are saying, does the future unity of the church.

Authors Joel Schorn

Unity pope Pius XI protestant reign of Christ

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Presbyterian Church supports gay marriage

22 Mar 2015 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“I will draw everyone to myself,” Jesus promises in this Sunday’s gospel. The largest Presbyterian denomination drew closer to gay believers on Tuesday through its official endorsement of gay marriage, solidifying mainline Protestants' support for the cause. Now all eyes turn to the largest mainline denomination—the United Methodist Church—to see how they will react. Homily hint: Issues related to sexuality have challenged congregations of all stripes for decades now. Perhaps the day is closer, one hopes, when we can follow Pope Francis’ suggestion that we judge less, tolerate more, and focus on helping the neediest among us. For more on church voting on gay marriage,see: With Presbyterians in the yes column, mainline Protestants solidify gay marriage support

gay marriage sexual ethics protestant churches presbyterians

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Forgive us our trespasses, pope asks Protestants

31 Jan 2016 - Preaching the News for Sunday

It is the psalmist’s hope never to be put to shame. Pope Francis Monday asked Protestants and other Christian Churches for forgiveness for past persecution by Catholics as the Vatican announced he would visit Sweden later in the year to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. Speaking at an annual vespers service in St. Paul's Basilica in Rome attended by representatives of other religions, Francis asked "forgiveness for the un-gospel like behavior by Catholics towards Christians of other churches." He also asked Catholics to forgive those who had persecuted them. Homily hint: Though Catholics and Protestants continue to differ on important points, we share so much more than what divides us. Pope Francis is signaling at every turn a new era of mercy, tolerance, forgiveness, and healing. Let’s join in this reconciling ministry in our own homes, lives, and faith communities. For more on the pope’s statement to Protestants, see: Pope asks Protestants for forgiveness for persecution

Forgiveness Pope Francis reformation protestantism

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Homily themes

22 Mar 2009 - Fourth Sunday of Lent, Cycle B

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works. Saint Paul’s emphasis on the primacy of justification by faith recalls the 1999 joint declaration between the Catholic Church and the churches of the Lutheran World Federation on the doctrine of justification, one of the most divisive issues of the Protestant Reformation. This historic document said that the understandings the two communions have of justification has developed to the point where they fundamentally agree. While not taking away from the seriousness of the fact the two churches condemned one another over this key Christian doctrine, the authors of the declaration write, “The teaching of the Lutheran churches presented in this Declaration does not fall under the condemnations from the Council of Trent. The condemnations in the Lutheran Confessions do not apply to the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church presented in this Declaration.” The liturgy for this midpoint of Lent traditionally sounds a joyous note. Let us recall with joy how two churches have taken a step toward the unity Christ wanted for his disciples. Homily points Hebrew history can be recounted by means of the “E’s”: expulsion, Exodus, and Exile. Biblical events of such cataclysmic proportions unfold for predictable reasons, human disobedience being a central one. Eternal life, the final “E” in the series, is a movement beyond the effects of expulsion itself. The verdict is love, salvation is offered, and grace is radically free.< Bulletin insert Laetare means “rejoice” and comes from the first word of today’s entrance antiphon, “Rejoice, Jerusalem. Be glad for her, you who love her; rejoice with her, you who mourned for her, and you will find contentment at her consoling breasts.” Like Gaudete Sunday in Advent, Laetare Sunday in Lent reminds us not to forget to rejoice—at this time to joyfully anticipate the celebration of Easter. Thus the priest wears rose-colored vestments to symbolize joy in the midst of Lent.

Authors Joel Schorn

catholic church Lutheran World Federation protestant doctrine of justification Eternal life rejoice

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The end of Protestantism?

Short essays about observed trends in Roman Catholic life - Pastoral trends

Evangelicals, Pentecostals, and Independent Christians still show healthy attendance numbers. But in a way “Protestantism” as a concept is at an end. The term has less and less traction for ordinary people. Surveys show this: fewer and fewer people describe themselves as “Protestant” as the years go by. People say they are “nondenominational,” “Christian,” “evangelical,” and so on. There is a multiplicity among Christians where there once was a duality: Protestant and Catholic. The one not only implied not the other, it needed the other for its very existence. Without Catholicism, there could be no Protestantism. And without Protestantism, what would Catholicism have been these past 500 years? If this is the end of Protestantism, might we also say it is the end of Catholicism as we have known it? Certainly it is the end of simple oppositional thinking and self-definition. Both Protestantism and Catholicism in that sense have collapsed in lockstep with the collapse of their old foils, a previously overly defined, massive unity that no longer exists. Today there are evangelical Catholics, charismatic Catholics, traditional Catholics, devotional Catholics, cultural Catholics of one place or kind or another. If this is the end of Protestantism, it is also the end of a one-size-fits-all Catholicism. We now experience a truly world-wide and yet highly diverse, locally expressive and globally united, Catholic faith, an expression of the faith that is more relevant than ever, more suited to our time than ever--unless of course we lock ourselves into a past that no longer exists.

Authors Bryan Froehle

protestant denominations