At the Last Supper, when Jesus took the bread and the wine and told his apostles that the bread was his body and the wine was his blood, he said all of them should eat and drink. All of the apostles were united, together at the table with our Lord, even though one would betray him and one would deny Him.
We know of the beautiful, divine Holy Trinity, and repeat a Eucharistic prayer at Mass that mentions unity:
Through him, and with him, and in him,
O God, almighty Father,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
all glory and honor is yours,
for ever and ever.
Amen.
Unfortunately, in today’s world, unity is hard to achieve. All over the news are stories of opposing political parties and platforms, demonstrations about opinions that divide and cause more separation, and vicious crimes that cause division and great hardship. Disagreements are easily spread through modern technology. More and more people adopt the “me-first” attitude and fall away from worshiping God whose love can draw us together and help us find common goals. Even our families are often dispersed among busy pursuits that distract members from precious time in a united group.
Jesus prayed for his disciples, present and future, to be united with each other and with him and the Father:
I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their
word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they
also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given
them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one. I in them
and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may
know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me.
(John 17:20-23.)
So let us pray for openness to the truth Jesus offers us, forgiveness for those who sin against us, and generous inclusiveness so that unity can be our goal. We might use Psalm 133 as a starting point:
Behold, how good it is, and how pleasant,
where brethren dwell as one!
It is as when the precious ointment upon the head
runs down over the beard, the beard of Aaron,
till it runs down upon the collar of his robe.
It is a dew like that of Hermon,
which comes down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the Lord has pronounced his blessing,
life forever.
†††
The photograph is by Gary Butterfield on Unsplash.
The gospel passage is from the New American Bible, Oxford University Press, New York, 1990.
Sharon Krause is a RENEW volunteer whose writing has appeared in several resources for small-group faith sharing. She is a wife, mother, and grandmother residing in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, Connecticut. Over the years, she has served in many parish ministries.