Finding Unity in Christ

Christ Calling His First Disciples (1839) by Adam Brenner

In the Gospel today, Jesus begins his public ministry. He preaches repentance like his predecessor, John the Baptist, but he also goes beyond John’s preaching. Unlike John, Jesus travels. He doesn't just have people come to him – he goes out to them. As he does so, he attracts followers. We hear the names of some of the first of those followers, men who become his disciples. Jesus is bringing people together, building unity around himself.

And yet, the history of Christianity is fraught with division and discord. We heard in the Second Reading how even just a few decades after Jesus’s death and Resurrection there were factions developing in the Christian community in Corinth. Saint Paul urges unity, encouraging the Corinthians to be devoted to Christ rather than anyone else. But sadly, despite such calls for unity, division continues. As we know from history, the Christian religion fragmented over the centuries, sometimes over important issues but more often than not over misunderstandings.

We even see this here at the U of A – one just has to walk around campus to see the number of different campus ministries and faith groups, claiming to have the authentic Christian message. But while we are familiar with these divisions, we should not be content with them. As Catholics, we say that it is the responsibility of every baptized person to work for Christian unity – to pray for that unity and do our part to work toward what Jesus himself prayed for: “May they be one, Father, as you and I are one” (Jn 17:21).

This week, Christians around the world, including the Catholic Church, are observing A Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is a time for us to reflect upon and work toward Jesus’s desire that his followers be united. Much of the work of this effort happens at a level higher than our community – the Vatican, for example, has dialogues with international Christian groups; the US Conference of Catholic Bishops discusses with other American assemblies about how best to carry Jesus’s message forward to our world.

But Jesus’s desire for unity among his followers is not something that can be accomplished merely by conferences and committees. It also has to happen at a more fundamental level, at the level of each of us as individuals. I would like to propose, if I may, two concrete ways that each of us can work to building Christian unity, no matter what context we may be in:

First, all of us are called to a deeper sense of Christian forgiveness. There may be no more radical aspect of the Gospel message than, “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” I am sure all of us recognize how great this idea is in theory – that love conquers hate, that prayer is the proper response to being treated badly. Living it out though is extremely difficult, but it’s precisely for this reason that it is so important. When someone insults or slights us, we Christians have at that moment a choice to love as Jesus loved ... or not, to be an instrument of his mercy to the other person ... or not. Forgiveness is not something we do merely by our own power or only once we feel like we are ready. Rather, it is a choice we make relying upon God’s grace, recognizing that just as he has forgiven us completely in Jesus's sacrifice on the Cross, so too we must seek to forgive completely in return. What a powerful witness we would be for others if we Catholics were as merciful as the Lord calls us to be!

In a broader sense, any work of charity that we do is also an act of mercy. Maybe it is volunteering for a service project, or helping a friend in need, or calling up a relative that lives alone. These things seem ordinary but they can be moments of great grace. When we make an effort to show kindness, to demonstrate mercy, we continue the work of Jesus, we undo division, we heal discord, we build unity. As Christians, our charitable works are not done merely for altruistic purposes, like any other person might do them. Rather, they are born out of our faith in Jesus and in our understanding that we are called to continue his mission of building the kingdom of heaven.

A second concrete way that I think we are called to work for Christian unity is to deepen our own knowledge of our Catholic faith. It may seem a little counterintuitive that we can grow closer to other Christians by deepening our own Catholic identity, but I think we can’t really seek to understand others until we first understand ourselves. Our Catholic tradition is so rich and comprehensive, stretching from our time all the way back to the time of Jesus and the apostles. Shouldn’t we want to learn more about who we are, where we come from, what we believe? Shouldn’t we wish to share that with others?

I’d like to encourage each of us to make an effort this year to deepen our Catholic identity in some way, maybe by joining one of our Bible studies here at St. Thomas, or by spending time with the Lord in Eucharistic adoration on Wednesday evenings, or by seeking out some spiritual or religious reading to learn more about some part of our faith that we find interesting or puzzling. The formation of our Catholic identity is a lifelong project, but the more we make an effort to begin now, the more we will come to know and love Jesus in a fuller way and be his witness to the world.

Friends, we hear many voices these days emphasizing the need for understanding, compassion, and unity in our society. As Christians, we echo these concerns; but we also know that these virtues are only fully realized in Jesus, since they are reflections of him and the Good News he has brought. The ministry that he started 2000 years ago continues today in us, and he calls us to follow him just as he did the first disciples. By our forgiveness, by our charity, by our faith, may God help us bear Jesus’s presence in a world which needs him now more than ever.
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