Genesis 32 and 33 recounts the reconciliation process between Abraham’s two sons, Esau and Jacob. God would not allow hatred and disunity to exist between these two brothers. He even sent two bands of angels to help Jacob accomplish his part of the difficult task. God personally wrestled with Jacob until he was ready to accept the Lord’s terms of reconciling with his brother Esau; becoming a humble servant rather than a conquering brother. When Jacob finally saw his brother Esau, his reaction was refreshing; ‘…what a relief to see your friendly smile. It is like seeing the face of God.’ (Gen. 33:10) There is joy in seeing the face of God in the ‘face’ of a reunited brother and sister.
On February 20-22 2014 there were meetings in Arizona between Protestants and Catholics held at Living Streams Church in Phoenix and at North Scottsdale Christian in Scottsdale. Business leader and Pastor Joe Tosini was the initiator and visionary for the gatherings. The focus of the meetings was to pray, worship, read the scriptures and fellowship together. In addition to many believers from both traditions and Protestant Pastors both of the Catholic Bishops of the Phoenix Diocese were in attendance; Bishop Olmsted and Bishop Navaras. My friends Giovanni Traettino, a Pentecostal Protestant pastor and Matteo Calisi, a leader in the Catholic Charismatic movement traveled from Italy to share their stories of reconciliation. They even sang together in to us in Italian. Giovanni read a letter from Pope Francis that Francis had written on the occasion of these meetings urging believers to receive one another and find ways to express our common faith in Christ together. The meetings ended with all of us praying at other’s feet, asking God to help us to be one in Christ so that the world will believe in Him.
Reconciliation is a big word with many interpretations. From my perspective, it is God gathering His believing children together in spiritual union to demonstrate the reality of His Kingdom. ‘God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan: at the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ-everything in heaven and on earth.” (Eph 1:9,10) This is not an organizational unity but a uniting of those who have Christ living in their hearts regardless of their denominational alignment.
It does not mean that we become Catholic, or they become Protestant. It does mean that when we encounter believers from different traditions, we make every effort to keep ourselves united in the Spirit, binding ourselves together with peace. There are doctrinal differences that may never be resolved and questions that may never be answered, but when a person loves and serves Jesus, it does answer the question about whether they are ‘family or not.’
There are reverberations from these simple meetings. All across the USA and other parts of the world there is an awakening in both Protestant and Catholic Communities to reach out to their separated relatives and discover the riches of relationship with the family of God. I am working with Joe, Giovanni, Matteo and others in this effort to further unity in the body of Christ; we call this simply ‘John 17’ referring to Jesus’ prayer in John 17:21; ‘I pray that they will all be one…so that the world will believe you sent me.’
