A community of Christians committed to the Lord and serving the Common Good Together
"I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may be one; even as you father are in me and I in You, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me"
Jesus Christ, The Gospel of St. John 17: 20-21
In the aftermath of September 11, 2001 we have reaffirmed our national commitment to the dignity of every human life, the primacy of the family, authentic freedom and human solidarity. We hear once again the call to promote the "Common Good".
As Christians in America, we have a special mission. We must now embark upon it together. After all, we have a common Savior. We also participate in a common mission.
Many of us have come to understand our greater obligation to serve the common good as a result of our participation in many efforts geared toward influencing and transforming the culture. We are coming to understand that we carry on the redemptive work of the One whose name we bear, together.
Our service as well as our political, economic, social and cultural participation must not be directed only toward protecting or defending "our rights" as one among many interest groups. While it may be appropriate to call upon our rights as St. Paul did in Rome, we are called to serve a much greater purpose in the culture, to serve the common good together.
Nor is it enough to "find a place at the table", as important as that may be. Rather, we are called to invite the entire human race to a new table where they will find the Bread of Life, who alone will satisfy the human heart.
Our task is to be redemptive and to give of ourselves to all men and women, not only with explicit words that speak of our faith, but through our sacrificial service and our witness of life.
Christians for the Common Good is an outreach of the "Common Good" movement. We have members from across the Christian confessional spectrum and hope to include in our ranks Christians from every Church, community, tradition and communion.
We do not embrace a "lowest common denominator" approach to Christian co-operation. Rather, we recognize the very real and importance differences and distinctives that separate us. We do not minimize their importance in the path toward full communion.
However, we also recognize that what gathers us together is greater and the urgency of the hour requires a response. We have come together to build a new movement, having learned from our past efforts.
We will not be marginalized by becoming captive to any political party nor allow the labels of contemporary politics to trivialize the depth and profound insights that we believe the Christian message and world view offers for this new Millennium.
Most importantly, we reaffirm our commitment to one another and our mutual obligation to together serve the Common Good. We know that the prayer uttered by Our Common Savior "That they may be one" will be answered. We believe that our willingness to work together for the common good is a partial step toward that end.
We know that as it was in the first centuries, it is our love for one another that will be our greatest witness in the Third Millennium.
We recognize that our disunity has had a direct relationship to our ineffectiveness in our political activism, our social service and our cultural engagement. We have had limited success in persuading men and women that the One we serve, and for whom we are named, has invited the entire human race into the full communion of His love and redemption.
We acknowledge our sins against unity, our lack of charity toward one another and our judgementalism. We pledge ourselves to a new way for the new millennium.
Many of us rediscovered one another in the social justice movements of the last twenty years, including the ongoing movement to build a new culture of life.
We witnessed a silver lining in the dark cloud of the "culture of death". As we stood side by side defending the unborn, calling for justice for the poor, protecting the elderly and proclaiming the dignity of the human person, the primacy of family, the promise and obligations of human freedom and the call to solidarity we learned that we were brothers and sisters.
We believe that there is much more ahead. It is time for a new movement, a new ethic and a new missionary spirit.
SERVIAM!!!
"Christians for the Common Good" is an outreach of the "Common Good Foundation"