Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
The reading from Acts tells how St. Paul knowingly pits different factions of Judaism against the other. He sides with the Pharisees, who believe in the resurrection of the body, against the Sadducees who do not. He plays on this disunity to give himself a shot at bringing the gospel right to the halls of the imperial palace in Rome.
The stark differences in one religion make us think about the plethora of theological battles and worship practices of Christianity. Jesus prays that His disciples “may all be one.” I often wonder how Catholics, Pentecostals speaking in tongues, and biker churches are going to be united – let alone Catholic and Orthodox churches. The differences seem too great in practice, let alone the weightier matters of doctrine.
However, there are numerous examples of hard sayings of Jesus that I take for granted and must ask for the grace to do: to forgive and pray for enemies or pick up my cross daily, for example. If the Lord wishes all those who confess one Lord, one faith, and one baptism should be one, then we must take it seriously that it may be so. First of all, if His disciples are to be known by our love, then this should mark our interaction with other Christian communions especially. Secondly, we let Christ build the house or unification or we will surely ruin the process. After all, erring humans were the cause of Christian division, so we have to believe that the Father will ultimately be the one to repair it. Jesus taught us the prayer to His Father and ours, and He teaches us to pray for reunification in the Church.
Reflection by Fr. Pachomius Meade, OSB
Posted in Article for Easter, Daily Reflections