JOHN 17:20-26
I HOPE YOU FOLLOWED THAT
GOSPEL. I'VE READ IT ABOUT TWENTY TIMES THIS WEEK, AND IT SEEMS TO
BE PACKED WITH IDEAS, FULL OF WONDERFUL CONCEPTS AND DEEP MEANINGS.
AND IT PROBABLY IS. BUT WHEN YOU STEP BACK A WAYS, YOU SEE THAT IT
IS REALLY ABOUT ONE THING, ONE THING THAT JESUS SEEMS TO WANT WITH
ALL HIS HEART, ONE THING THAT HE IS WILLING TO DIE FOR – THAT HIS
FOLLOWERS WILL BE ONE.
WHY UNITY? ONE REASON
JESUS GIVES IS SO THAT THE WORLD WILL KNOW THAT THE FATHER HAS SENT
THE SON. IF CHRISTIANS ARE IN UNITY, THEIR WITNESS TO THE WORLD IS
FAR MORE POWERFUL; NOT ONLY ARE THERE UNCOUNTABLE NUMBERS OF
DENOMINATIONS, BUT EVEN IN OUR OWN CHURCH, THERE ARE ALL KINDS OF
STRAINS AND DISAGREEMENTS. I THINK IT'S INTERESTING THAT WHEN YOU
SIT DOWN WITH A PRACTICING CATHOLIC, YOU CAN USUALLY UNCOVER SOME
DISCONTENT – EVERYONE SEEMS TO KNOW HOW THE PASTOR COULD DO
SOMETHING BETTER, HOW THE PARISH COUNCIL COULD BE MORE EFFECTIVE, HOW
THE FAITH FORMATION PROGRAM SHOULD BE RUN. I GUESS THAT'S HUMAN.
BUT THAT ISN'T UNITY, THAT ISN'T WHAT OUR LORD PRAYED FOR.
ANOTHER REASON FOR UNITY
IS BECAUSE WE NEED EACH OTHER. IN THE COUNTRY OF LEBANON, WHERE
THERE ARE ABOUT FOUR MILLION PEOPLE, SIXTY PERCENT ARE MOSLEM. OF
THE 40% WHO ARE CHRISTIANS, THERE ARE 14 RECOGNIZED SECTS. THEY HAVE
VERY LITTLE TO DO WITH EACH OTHER, AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SOME OF
THEM ARE DOWNRIGHT ANTAGONISTIC. IN 20 YEARS THE PERCENTAGE OF
CITIZENS WHO ARE CHRISTIAN HAS DECREASED FROM ABOUT 55 PERCENT TO ITS
CURRENT LEVEL. IS THIS CAUSE AND EFFECT? IN THIS COUNTRY, 20 YEARS
AGO 8% OF THE POPULATION HAD NO AFFILIATION WITH ORGANIZED RELIGION;
NOW IT'S 20%. DO BELIEVERS NEED EACH OTHER? DO BELIEVERS NEED
UNITY?
IF WE ARE SEEKING UNITY,
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE? THERE'S AN OLD STORY ABOUT TWO LITTLE
CHURCHES LOCATED ACROSS THE STREET IN A SMALL TOWN. THE BILLBOARD IN
FRONT OF ONE SAID “THERE AIN'T NO HELL”. THE OTHER BILLBOARD
SAID, “THE HELL THERE AIN'T!” THE HUMAN RACE SPENT MOST OF
PRE-HISTORY DEVELOPING A VERY STRONG SENSE OF “US” VERSUS “THEM”.
MEMBERS OF TRIBES LOOKED OUT FOR EACH OTHER, AND FOUGHT WITH OTHER
TRIBES. EVEN TODAY THERE ARE PARTS OF THE WORLD WHERE TRIBAL
AFFILIATION IS MUCH MORE IMPORTANT THAN RELIGION, NATIONALITY, OR
ANYTHING ELSE. WE EVEN SEE PEOPLE IN THIS COUNTRY GOING BACK TO THAT
ANCIENT WAY OF SEEING THE WORLD. WHERE DO YOU STAND ON GUN
OWNERSHIP, SAME-SEX MARRIAGE, FRACKING TO REMOVE OIL AND NATURAL GAS
FROM THE GROUND, GLOBAL WARMING... YOU CAN USUALLY FIND SOME TOPIC
THAT WILL CAUSE TWO REASONABLE PEOPLE TO BECOME ANGRY WITH EACH
OTHER. AND WE ARE ALL GUILTY; WE ALL BELIEVE THINGS THAT NO
REASONABLE PERSON COULD DISAGREE WITH, RIGHT?
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
UNITY, WE CAN DRAW SOME LINES. IT CAN'T BE AT THE EXPENSE OF TRUTH.
SOME PEOPLE SAY “IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT YOU BELIEVE, JUST SO YOU
ARE SINCERE.” THAT'S NOT CHRISTIAN. UNITY CAN'T IGNORE
CONTROVERSIAL ISSUES. REAL UNITY MEANS THAT WE DISCUSS AREAS OF
DISAGREEMENT SO THAT WE UNDERSTAND EACH OTHER BETTER – AND AT THE
SAME TIME, UNDERSTAND OUR OWN POSITION BETTER. FINALLY, WE HAVE TO
BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO CONFUSE UNITY WITH UNIFORMITY. IN OUR
CATHOLIC FAITH, THERE IS A HUGE VARIETY IN THE LEGITIMATE WAYS WE CAN
BE CATHOLIC. WE SHOULD WELCOME THIS, NOT TRY TO IMPOSE A
COOKIE-CUTTER SYSTEM FOR EVERYBODY.
HOW DO WE BUILD UNITY?
FIRST, WE CELEBRATE WHAT
WE HAVE IN COMMON. SEVERAL YEARS AGO, THE THREE CHURCHES ON
LONGMEADOW STREET USED TO HAVE AN ECUMENICAL SERVICE DURING THE
CHRISTMAS SEASON. DESPITE OUR DIFFERENCES, WE ALL CELEBRATED THE
FACT THAT CHRIST BECAME ONE OF US. THERE IS A WONDERFUL PROLIFE
ORGANIZATION CALLED THE SPRINGFIELD PREGNANCY CARE CENTER; THE
VOLUNTEERS REPRESENT TEN DIFFERENT CHRISTIAN DENOMINATIONS, UNITED
OVER WHAT THEY DO AGREE ABOUT. HERE IN SAINT MARY'S, WE'VE TRIED A
LOT OF THINGS TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER. THE TOPICS OF FAITH PROGRAM
USUALLY HAS A PRETTY GOOD TURNOUT, BUT THERE ARE LARGE NUMBERS OF OUR
FELLOW PARISHIONERS WHO DON'T COME TO ANYTHING.
SECOND, WE RESPECT
DIFFERENCES IN INTERPRETATION AND EMPHASIS. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE THAT
ALL CHRISTIANS ARE CALLED TO CHARITY TOWARDS OUR NEIGHBOR. HOW WE
CARRY THIS OUT – WORKING IN A SOUP KITCHEN, DELIVERING MEALS TO
PEOPLE WHO ARE HAVING PROBLEMS, HOLDING A PICKET SIGN IN FRONT OF THE
ABORTION CLINIC, OR SIMPLY SUPPORTING A CHARITY WITH OUR MONEY – IS
A MATTER OF INDIVIDUAL INTERPRETATION OR EMPHASIS. WHEN WE SEE OUR
BROTHERS AND SISTERS PRACTICING CHARITY, WHATEVER IT IS THEY ARE
DOING, WE SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT THEY ARE DOING SO, EVEN IF WE THINK
THEY COULD SPEND THEIR ENERGY MORE EFFICIENTLY.
THIRD, WE NEED TO SPEAK
POSITIVELY OF OTHER PEOPLE WHO ARE SINCERELY TRYING TO DRAW CLOSER TO
GOD. IT MAY NOT BE MY CUP OF TEA TO MAKE A PILGRIMAGE TO MEDJUGORE
OR GUADALOUPE; I MAY NOT FEEL CALLED TO WORSHIP BY SPEAKING IN
TONGUES; BUT I WELCOME AND APPLAUD ANY LEGITIMATE EXPRESSION OF
FAITH.
FOURTH, WE HAVE TO PRAY
FOR EACH OTHER. DIETRICH BOENHOFFER, A LUTHERAN PASTOR WHO WAS
EXECUTED IN WORLD WAR II, AS A YOUNG MINISTER WAS VERY CRITICAL NOT
ONLY OF CATHOLICS BUT OF PENTECOSTAL DENOMINATIONS. LATER IN LIFE,
HE SAID THAT THE MORE HE PRAYED FOR THE UNITY OF CHRISTIANS, THE LESS
CRITICAL HE WAS. YOU CAN'T HATE PEOPLE YOU PRAY FOR.
JESUS LONGED FOR HIS
FOLLOWERS TO BE ONE WITH EACH OTHER, SO THAT THEY COULD BE ONE WITH
HIM, AND WITH THE FATHER. WHEN A HUSBAND LOSES A WIFE OR A CHILD
LOSES A PARENT, THE GRIEF COMES BECAUSE THE UNITY BETWEEN TWO PEOPLE
HAS BEEN DISRUPTED. JESUS WANTS THE OPPOSITE FOR US – A UNITY SO
PROFOUND, SO ROOTED IN GOD HIMSELF, THAT IT CAN NEVER BE BROKEN.
JESUS TALKS ABOUT GIVING US THE GLORY HE HAS BEEN GIVEN.
LET US EXAMINE OUR
CONSCIENCES THIS WEEK AND CONSIDER HOW WE MIGHT BECOME ONE WITH EACH
OTHER AND WHERE OUR WORDS AND ACTIONS ARE ACTUALLY CAUSING DIVISION.
AND THEN THE WORLD WILL SEE WHAT JESUS WANTED IT TO SEE – THAT THE
FATHER HAS SENT HIM INTO THE WORLD TO GATHER ALL TO HIMSELF.
