The scandal of Unity
Today’s 2nd reading is one of my favourites:
“There is one Body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.” -Ephesians 4:4-5
We are busy noticing each other’s differences; and when we notice them, we say things like, “Oh, it’s interesting that you’re like this, because I am not like this. I am like that.” We get a sense of our uniqueness. However, if we push that too far, we end up with a cop-out solution to differences: mere tolerance—as if the next person had nothing to do with us; as if it would demand too much effort to decide to try and walk together in our lives, and share some of our own life with each other. We gain uniqueness to the expense of purpose.
We think that our globalized world has moved closer to unity through tolerance; but it has moved farther because of the above reasons. It is not immediately obvious, but St. Paul’s statement is scandalously bold! It is needed more than ever today, because it has the potential to give us both uniqueness, being considered individually special; and purpose, which comes from being part of something bigger than us.
Why was St. Paul such a powerful witness to the Gentiles of his time, and why did he convince so many of the truth of the Gospel? He could have stayed with the Jews, the chosen people he was part of; but he went and proclaimed this…to everyone, no matter who they were! If what St. Paul says is really true, that we are, in fact, ONE, then it MUST be true for everyone in the whole world, not just Catholic Christians!!! Somehow, this unity MUST be achievable, no matter what the world says! So for example…
World: “Some cultures will just never get along with each other.” St. Paul: “There is one body and one Spirit”
World: “Not everyone is called to know the Lord.” St. Paul: “you were called to the one hope of your calling”
World: “There are too many different Christian beliefs and rituals that are irreconcilable.” St. Paul: “one Lord, one faith, one baptism”
World: “All religions are the same. Who can say which is truer?” St. Paul: “one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” You just can’t miss Him!!!
Not ten thousand religions…not millions of goals…not multitudes of different bodies…not hundreds of mind-shaped divinities… ONE GOD!!! FOR THE WHOLE WORLD!!! ONE TRUTH we are still struggling to know… ONE LOVE…
…but we must all strive for it. So how do we all orient ourselves towards it? St. Paul to the rescue again:
“I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” -Ephesians 4:1-3
There are surely many ways to come to Jesus Christ; in the end, He Is Our Only Salvation, our oneness. Unity demands truth, not tolerance of untruth. Trusting one another is the pathway to real Unity.
