The Council of Nicea

When we read about the tensions in the Church today, it is good to remember that tensions have always existed. This year we celebrate an anniversary of the Council of Nicea that took place in 325 AD.  The purpose of this first ever ecumenical council was to discuss the divisions in the church over the question of the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ. Something as fundamental to our faith as our understanding of the Incarnation was not clearly stated in theological language in the early Church.  It took time, contact with other cultures, thought patterns and languages before our faith in Jesus, fully human and fully divine, could be formulated. Celebrate this anniversary of the Council of Nicea, invites us to reflect again on Nicolas Barre’s deep insight and our own spirituality and mission:

 “God is supremely great, yet, He is happy to reach out humbly to the little ones. Thus in his plan for his Son, He willed not only that He should become a human being, but that He should become a little Child. Whoever receives a poor abandoned child doubly welcomes Jesus Christ. This is the first and most important aim of the Institute” (SR 1:2)