Acta Apostolicae Sedis - Commentarium Officiale340

Christian communities throughout the United States. May the peace of our

Lord and Savior be with you all!

Through you, I express my sincere appreciation for the invaluable work of

all those engaged in ecumenism: the National Council of Churches, Christian

Churches Together, the Catholic Bishops' Secretariat for Ecumenical and

Interreligious Affairs, and many others. The contribution of Christians in

the United States to the ecumenical movement is felt throughout the world.

I encourage all of you to persevere, always relying on the grace of the risen

Christ whom we strive to serve by bringing about ''the obedience of faith for

the sake of his name''.2

We have just listened to the scriptural passage in which Paul - a ''prison-

er for the Lord'' - delivers his ardent appeal to the members of the Christian

community at Ephesus. ''I beg you'', he writes, ''to lead a life worthy of the

calling to which you have been called ... eager to maintain the unity of the

Spirit in the bond of peace''.3 Then, after his impassioned litany of unity,

Paul reminds his hearers that Jesus, having ascended into heaven, has be-

stowed upon men and women all the gifts necessary for building up the Body

of Christ.4

Paul's exhortation resounds with no less vigor today. His words instill in

us the confidence that the Lord will never abandon us in our quest for unity.

They also call us to live in a way that bears witness to the ''one heart and

mind'',5 which has always been the distinguishing trait of Christian koinonia,6

and the force drawing others to join the community of believers so that they

too might come to share in the ''unsearchable riches of Christ''.7

Globalization has humanity poised between two poles. On the one hand,

there is a growing sense of interconnectedness and interdependency between

peoples even when - geographically and culturally speaking - they are far

apart. This new situation offers the potential for enhancing a sense of global

solidarity and shared responsibility for the well-being of mankind. On the

other hand, we cannot deny that the rapid changes occurring in our world

also present some disturbing signs of fragmentation and a retreat into indi-

2 Rom 1:5. 3 Eph 4:1-3. 4 Cf. Eph 4:11-13. 5 Acts 4:32. 6 Cf. Acts 2:42. 7 Eph 3:8; cf. Acts 2:47; 5:14.