April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
OUR NEIGHBORS' FAITH
Bruderhof and Catholics, united
Today, things are different.
At first glance, Catholic and Bruderhof faith traditions are very different. Our church consists of families and singles who live, work and worship together in community. As in the monastic tradition, we take lifetime vows of poverty, obedience and chastity, so we share everything in common - even possessions.
Our style of life is simple. We have no buildings for worship; we pray and sing together wherever we are. We use modern technology in our businesses (Community Playthings and Rifton Equipment), but don't watch TV or use computers in our schools. Our life together strives to be a seamless whole, where children, young adults, parents and grandparents serve Christ together in very mundane ways.
Compared to the Catholic Church, we are small fry. Nevertheless, we feel close to the Catholic Church because we are pro-life, pro-marriage, pro-family, pro-justice for the poor, pro-peace and deeply troubled by how cheap life, sex and relationships have become in our society.
Shakespeare quips in "The Tempest" that "misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows." This is also true when facing a moral crisis. Our culture is in moral freefall and, like many Christians, we find ourselves increasingly marginalized. We also find ourselves joining hands with those we never thought would extend them. Despite our ecclesial differences, we count it a privilege to work with Catholics on matters that threaten God's created order.
We are especially inspired to proclaim what Pope John Paul II termed "the Gospel of life." Years ago, we joined with Bishop Howard J. Hubbard and others in the Albany Diocese in a common effort to end the death penalty in New York. We also issued joint statements on sexual purity and fidelity: with the Archdiocese of New York in 2003; and, this year, with the Diocese of Pittsburgh.
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the New York Archdiocese and Christoph Arnold, a senior pastor of our church, have spoken together at meetings on the importance of marriage and family.
We exchange resources and interact with fellow Catholics on a number of fronts, as in our educational work with Kellenberg High School on Long Island or in joint publishing efforts with Orbis Books. Our book, "Sex, God and Marriage" by Johann Christoph Arnold, is being used in a number of dioceses; with the help of the Sisters of Life, thousands of copies were given away at World Youth Day in Sidney, Australia, in 2008.
We regularly collaborate with the Franciscan Friars of Renewal in New York City and come to Catholic high schools with our Breaking the Cycle program, which teaches high school students about the power of forgiveness and reconciliation.
Nothing binds or unites people more deeply than having the same hope, the same faith and the same fight. Such unity is a gift, and is at the heart of Jesus' last prayer for His disciples: "that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you" (John 17:21).
Sadly, this unity is difficult to find. It is tempting to gloss over our differences and pretend we can just shake hands over the fences which exist, but it is also easy to blow our differences out of proportion. In our experience, our differences can be gifts we share with one another.
I often find myself paralyzed by the forces within and outside the body of Christ that seek to silence the witness of the church. In the times we live in, where there is so much spiritual and social chaos, it is easy to get discouraged. But again and again, God provides opportunities for His people to forge a common witness. In gratitude to God, let us dare more than ever to serve Jesus together. Let us be an answer, not a hindrance, to His prayer for unity.
(Mr. Moore is a pastor in the Bruderhof, an editor for Plough Publishing and a teacher at Mount Academy in Esopus, N.Y. For more information, see www.bruderhof.com.)[[In-content Ad]]
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