Should a Church Close Down?

I hope and pray that all are well. I am writing on the subject dealing with the title's question because of a news article I just read about a church that closed down yesterday. The church was supposed to have closed 12 years ago. The parishioners fought to keep it open; however, they lost the long fought battle to do so. Why did the church close? The following excerpt from the article provides a good idea as to why it happened.

"...the parishioners tapped into a deep well of mistrust after the archdiocese, rocked by a sexual abuse scandal, moved to close dozens of parishes in 2004 — citing a decline in priests and congregants (nytimes.com)."

The full article is at the link below.

After 12 Years of Defiance, a Massachusetts Congregation Goes in Peace - The New York Times

Well, now we know more about the reasons why the church closed; however, that fact does not answer the question asked in the title: should a church close down? In Mathew 28:19, Jesus said:"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit (RSV Bible)...." The foregoing is known as The Great Commission. In the early days of the church, Saint Paul planted many churches, and spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ based on those very instructions by Jesus. And, this is well documented in Paul's Epistle writings, as well as in the Book of the Acts of the Apostles. I recently I heard someone say that it is called The Book of Acts instead of the Book of Thoughts because the apostles, Saint Paul included, were doing something (spreading the Gospel). They were not just sitting around thinking. Saint Paul, also said more than once in his writings, “be imitators of me.” Why were they doing something? Basically, because of their faith in Jesus Christ, and faith is not just simply believing in something, it apparently requires action. James 2:20 basically covers this idea by saying that “faith without works is dead.” I think we should be able to get the idea based on these previous verses. A church is supposed to be doing what Jesus instructed in The Great Commission or it perhaps should close down. To close and also try to be brief, it appears to me that the church in the article was still doing what a church is supposed to do. I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Blessings!

References:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/30/us/after-12-years-of-defiance-a-massachusetts-congregation-goes-in-peace.html?_r=0.

RSV Bible

Ecumenism and the Armenian Genocide Remembered

I hope and pray that all are well. I am simply sharing some upcoming ecumenism news. Below is a quote that I extracted which should inform of the details.

“Following in the footsteps of St. John Paul II, who visited Armenia in 2001, Pope Francis will spend much of his time  in the country as the guest of the majority Armenian Apostolic Church and will attend a divine liturgy celebrated Catholicos Karekin II, the Orthodox patriarch, June 26 (www.thebostonpilot.com)."

Read the full article at the link below. Blessings!

http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=176486.

Reference:

http://www.thebostonpilot.com/article.asp?ID=176486.

Bishop Angaelos and the Lambeth Cross

I hope everyone is doing well. I just wanted to share some important ecumenical news for this month. It is always good to get updates from different sources. Here is some good news below.

"The Lambeth Cross for Ecumenism was conferred upon His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom, by the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, on 31 March 2016 at Lambeth Palace (www.indcatholicnews.com)."

Read the entire article at the link below. Blessings!

Coptic Bishop Angaelos receives major award for ecumenism - Independent Catholic News













Source:

http://www.indcatholicnews.com/news.php?viewStory=29773.

Arango's Apologetics Page: Happy Passover to All!

Happy Passover! Here is a post from the sibling blog which I think you might enjoy.


Arango's Apologetics Page: Happy Passover to All!

Happy Easter

Happy Easter to all! He is risen!

Prayer and Ecumenism

At the core of ecumenism is prayer. After all, ecumenism really began and begins because of Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21 in which he prayed “that they may all be one.” The World Council of Churches is one of the organizations that acknowledge this fact with relevance to prayer. Moreover, the WCC has a prayer cycle on their website which in my opinion is a great idea for all to follow as prayer guide. The following is a statement from their website’s prayer section.

"At the very heart of the ecumenical movement is the reality of prayer. Jesus prayed that we may all be one, united in God in the mystery of the Trinity. That is the basis and the goal of our search for unity."

This is just a simple post on the importance of prayer in ecumenism, and I think this foregoing statement definitely hits the nail on the head. Perhaps one day soon we will all be praying the same prayer as Jesus, so that indeed we may all be one. Blessings and thank you for reading my blog!

Below is the link to the WCC’s prayer cycle, if you wish to visit the site and use it as a prayer guide, I think it would be a wonderful idea.  

In God's Hands: The Ecumenical Prayer Cycle — World Council of Churches







Source:

http://www.oikoumene.org/en.

The Vatican and Cuba Connection is Again at Work

On February 12^th, 2016, Pope Francis will be meeting Patriarch Kirill of Moscow in Cuba. The meeting was supposedly arranged by the Cuban dictator and tyrant, Raul Castro. Regardless of how I feel personally about the Castro’s, ecumenism meetings are always a good idea. The Russian Orthodox Church is a little over a thousand years old, and this will be the first such meeting in history. Vatican Radio said:

“Their meeting will take place in Cuba, where the Pope will make a stop on his way to Mexico, and where the Patriarch will be on an official visit. It will include a personal conversation at Havana’s Jose Marti International Airport, and will conclude with the signing of a joint declaration (http://en.radiovaticana.va/).”

Soon we will know what this joint declaration which they will be signing is about. Honestly, it all sounds a bit exciting. Blessings! Below is the link to the full article from Vatican Radio.

Pope Francis to meet Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on February 12th - Vatican Radio









Source:

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2016/02/05/pope_francis_to_meet_patriarch_kirill_of_moscow_/1206182