Unify us!

I’d like to share a few of my thoughts on the short second reading we heard today. As St. Paul writes, “. . . to the church of God that is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that invoke the name of our Lord Jesus Christ in every place of theirs and ours”, I am struck with the way in which St. Paul addressed the community in the context of the larger Christian church. He is in effect saying that the church in Corinth is merely a small part of a much larger sum; the same can be said of us at St. John University Parish in Morgantown. Indeed St. John Chrysostom, in his homily on 1st Corinthians, says,

“. . . unity is one of its [the Churches] essential and necessary characteristics. The Church of God is one in its members and forms nothing but a single Church with all the communities spread throughout the world, for the word ‘church’ does not mean schism: it means unity, harmony, concord.”

Obviously unity was of importance to St. Paul, and also St. John Chrysostom; all this talk of unity causes me to wonder about the state of the Christian church in today’s world. With the multiplicity of denominations and beliefs which exists in our world today what does unity mean to us? And what should unity mean? And how close of a union should exist amongst us Christians? All these questions have been answered for us in the 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John when Jesus himself prayed for unity, “that they [Jesus’ disciples] all may be one, as you, Father, in me, and I in you; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me.” Jesus speaks of a unity of Christians which is as intimate as the very union between the 1st and 2nd persons of the Trinity, and indeed a unity which includes Him and the Father.

The last and most poignant question which must be posed now that the above questions have been answered is how are we Christians in Morgantown supposed to bring about such a unity? I submit to you my answer (or rather a part of it) while encouraging you to formulate your own: we should bring about such unity very simply by living as the best possible Christians (that is imitating Christ as perfectly as possible), and also by praying for that very same unity which Christ Himself prayed for.

Samuel Clemens is a student member of St. John’s.

Question of the Week:
How do I personally strive for unity with other Christians?

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Recommended Reading:
www.vatican.va
Search “The Pontifical Council for promoting Christian Unity”