The Catholic Spirit

John Wesley in his sermon On A Catholic Spirit suggested that Christians when they relate to one another must get away from a focus upon differences in belief.  He starts with a verse from the Old Testament where one warrior, in a chariot, says to another, on foot, 'if you heart is right with my heart, climb up beside me'.

This seems to be a decision of a moment.  Whatever difficulties there have been between them, is it possible to form an alliance at this moment?  Of course it is, if their hearts are as one.  But it is also a statement of a much deeper relationship.  If I can trust this person in the heat of battle, then our hearts must be closer than our separate modes of belief might suggest.

Look, says Wesley, I know in general that I am in some respects mistaken about my faith.  My problem is that I do not know specifically in which respects I am mistaken.  The same applies to you.

So, you believe in believers' baptism and I believe in infant baptism?  We can allow these differences to separate us or we can agree to differ as it is far more important are hearts are right.

This is a remarkable sermon for its time and we should note the following:

1. Wesley is very careful, in the third part of the sermon to clarify that the catholic spirit is not a spirit of blurring boundaries between traditions.  Each person relates to others through their adherence to their own tradition.  Each person is encouraged to go deeper into their own tradition.  Indeed, ecumenists often find ecumenical conversations deepen their understanding of their own tradition.  This cannot happen where a person is not part of an existing tradition.
2. Consequently, there is nothing here about structural unity.  Each tradition for Wesley is a given, so long as it is recognisably Christian.  Unity is a consequence of love between Christians, not through convergence of traditions.
3. The focus must be upon love between Christians.  It is this specific love between fellow believers which is the fruit of the catholic spirit.  The question is of course whether the catholic spirit and the ecumenical spirit are one and the same thing.