CHURCH IS CALLED TO BE THE SACRAMENT OF UNITY AND LOVE IN THE WORLD

20160508 CHURCH IS CALLED TO BE THE SACRAMENT OF UNITY AND LOVE IN THE WORLD

Readings at Mass

Liturgical Colour: White.

In some dioceses the Ascension of the Lord is celebrated today. If this applies to you, please reconfigure Universalis to use the appropriate local calendar.

First reading

Acts 7:55-60 ©

Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at God’s right hand. ‘I can see heaven thrown open’ he said ‘and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.’ At this all the members of the council shouted out and stopped their ears with their hands; then they all rushed at him, sent him out of the city and stoned him. The witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man called Saul. As they were stoning him, Stephen said in invocation, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he knelt down and said aloud, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’; and with these words he fell asleep.

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 96:1-2,6-7,9 ©

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

The Lord is king, let earth rejoice,

  the many coastlands be glad.

  His throne is justice and right.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

The skies proclaim his justice;

  all peoples see his glory.

  All you spirits, worship him.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

For you indeed are the Lord

  most high above all the earth,

  exalted far above all spirits.

The Lord is king, most high above all the earth.

or

Alleluia!

Second reading

Apocalypse 22:12-14,16-17,20 ©

I, John, heard a voice speaking to me: ‘Very soon now, I shall be with you again, bringing the reward to be given to every man according to what he deserves. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Happy are those who will have washed their robes clean, so that they will have the right to feed on the tree of life and can come through the gates into the city.’

  I, Jesus, have sent my angel to make these revelations to you for the sake of the churches. I am of David’s line, the root of David and the bright star of the morning.

  The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ Let everyone who listens answer, ‘Come.’ Then let all who are thirsty come: all who want it may have the water of life, and have it free.

  The one who guarantees these revelations repeats his promise: I shall indeed be with you soon. Amen; come, Lord Jesus.

Gospel Acclamation

cf.Jn14:18

Alleluia, alleluia!

I will not leave you orphans, says the Lord;

I will come back to you,

and your hearts will be full of joy.

Alleluia!

Gospel

John 17:20-26 ©

Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and said:

‘Holy Father,

I pray not only for these,

but for those also

who through their words will believe in me.

May they all be one.

Father, may they be one in us,

as you are in me and I am in you,

so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.

I have given them the glory you gave to me,

that they may be one as we are one.

With me in them and you in me,

may they be so completely one

that the world will realise that it was you who sent me

and that I have loved them as much as you loved me.

Father, I want those you have given me

to be with me where I am,

so that they may always see the glory you have given me

because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Father, Righteous One,

the world has not known you,

but I have known you,

and these have known that you have sent me.

I have made your name known to them

and will continue to make it known,

so that the love with which you loved me may be in them,

and so that I may be in them.’

CHURCH IS CALLED TO BE THE SACRAMENT OF UNITY AND LOVE IN THE WORLD

SCRIPTURE READINGS: [ ACTS  7:55-60; REV 22:12-14, 16-17, 20; JN 17:20-26  ]

What is the primary work and mission of Christ if not the work of reconciliation?  Of course, the goal of reconciliation is unity.  The whole mission of Christ is to reconcile the world to God and by so doing humanity is also reconciled. That is why today the Church also celebrates World Communications Sunday.

But what is the cause of division in the world?  It is due to sin.  Primarily, sin is to deny the power of God and our dependence on Him.  It was the sin of Adam that brought about the division between God and man, which is followed by the division among man. So the source of disunity lies in man’s estranged relationship with God.

Accordingly, the work of reconciliation begins with the denunciation of sin and the call to repentance.  This is the central message of Jesus, namely, repentance from sin and conversion to God.  How did He do it?  He began by reconciling man with God.  Unless man is one with God, man is divided within himself.  And when man is divided within, he brings division around us.

He does this first by revealing to man the glory that has been given to us.  In the gospel, Jesus said, “I have given them the glory you gave to me that they may be one as we are one.”  What is this glory if not His unity with the Father?   Yes, He said, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, so that they may always see the glory you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”  Thus, we are called to share in the life of the Trinitarian God so that we too can be one with each other.

Secondly, He communicates to us the glory of God which is His unconditional love and forgiveness through His ministry of healing, miracles and preaching.   Most of all, by His passion, death and resurrection, He has won salvation for us since the paschal mystery reveals that He and the Father are one.   Crucified as a criminal but raised by the Father, Jesus is vindicated as the One chosen by the Father and the true expression of His love for humanity.

Now that He has ascended into heaven and is no longer visible to us, the Church is called to be the Sacrament of Jesus as He now lives and acts in us through His Holy Spirit.  Indeed, the Church in Vatican II is described as the Sacrament of unity and love for humankind.

It is within this context we can understand the important role of the Holy Father as the moral spokesman of the world and the primary promoter of unity.   Unity however cannot be possible unless sin is exposed and truth is taught.  That was what St Stephen did in the first reading when he exposed the sins of the Jewish leaders and proclaimed the truth about Jesus as the Messiah and Saviour.

Following Jesus and the apostles, the Holy Father continues to denounce sin in the world.  As the prophetic spokesman of the world, he lashes out against those who commit terrorism, injustices, oppression of the poor and marginalized, wars and the lack of respect for life.  In and out of season, welcome or unwelcome, he continues to urge respect for truth and life.  Following the denunciation of sin, he proclaims the truth of justice and love, inviting people to repentance and conversion of heart.  Understandably also, the Holy Father promotes inter-religious dialogue and ecumenism actively as these are two important instruments in bringing about peace and harmony in the world.

However if the Church were to be credible in its witness to love and unity, then necessarily, it must begin from within.  Jesus knew very well that unity is the only credible sign of His presence and power in witnessing.  That is why, at the end of His life, when the work had almost been done, He prayed for His disciples.  But He did not simply just pray for their well-being.  Rather, He prayed to the Father for the one thing that is necessary, which is the unity of His disciples.  He said, “May they all be one. Father, may they be one in us, as you are in me and I am in you, so that the world may believe it was you who sent me.”

Indeed, the distinctive mark of Jesus’ disciples is their love and unity.   Jesus’ prayer for Christian unity is all the more relevant in our modern world than it was to the Church of the early Christians.  The division of Christianity is the biggest scandal in our witnessing to the world.

Failure to preserve our unity is to take away the glory of Jesus in His Church.  What is the glory of Jesus and that of the Church if not that of perfect unity?  Jesus’ coming was to share His love and union with the Father with us.  If Jesus wants us to be in union with Him, it is in order that we can be inserted into His life with the Father.  In other words, Jesus has bequeathed glory to the Church. But this glory can only be manifested when the unity among Christians reflects the unity between Jesus and the Father. Lack of unity takes away from the glory which Jesus intended for the body of believers.

His call to unity must begin with the community we are in.  Unless we are able to promote unity in our community, it would be difficult to preach unity to the world.  How can we preach love and forgiveness to the world when we cannot love and forgive one another? How can we preach reconciliation and peace when we cannot be reconciled and live in peace with one another? One of the greatest obstacles in Christian witnessing to an unbelieving world is surely the counter-witness of division among Christians. No wonder Jesus prayed that we all may be one “so that the world will believe.”

How is unity possible in the light of our differences?  The unity for which Jesus prayed is a unity based on divine love. It is a unity that is possible only with the love of God in us. It is not a unity based on human wisdom, on power or on diplomacy. We must follow the path of Jesus.  Jesus could proclaim unity because He Himself is one with the Father in the Spirit.  The unity of Jesus and His Father is a unity of love and obedience and a unity of personal relationship.  Because Jesus loved us first and united us in baptism we are called to live in a unity of love.  We too must remain united with Jesus so that through Him, we too can share in the Father’s plan for unity.  If we love Jesus, the Father and His Church, we will put aside all our non-essential differences and come together.  Which human father would not want his children to be one?  Which dying parent would not be delighted to have all their children gather round his death-bed united in love and hurts forgiven and quarrels put aside?

This power for unity is only possible through the same Spirit who is the bond of love between the Father and the Son.  We too must acquire this same Spirit that enabled St Stephen to die for his enemies in imitation of the life of Jesus.   It was the Holy Spirit that empowered Stephen to proclaim the truth with courage and yet without resentment against those who misunderstood him.

Only because we have the same Spirit, the same love, that we are able to embrace the principle of unity in diversity; a unity which does not deprive others of their individuality whilst insisting that on essentials, there can be no division.  But in all things, charity must prevail.  Let us always keep in mind St Augustine’s advice, “in essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty; in all things, charity.” Indeed, in the Trinity, they are united in one being and yet distinct from each other.

Unity also requires forgiveness.  Even though St Stephen was stoned for speaking the truth, his last’s words were similar to those of Jesus, praying for forgiveness for those who were killing him. It was most probably because of St Stephen’s sincerity and forgiving heart that won Saul over in his journey of conversion.  Saul who was a persecutor became a proclaimer of the truth for Christ.

So like St Stephen and St John in the first reading, we need to earnestly pray for a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.  Only the Spirit can unite us all.  As we wait and pray for a rekindling of the fire of divine love in the hearts of the faithful at Pentecost, let us all resolve, in our own little ways, to work for the realisation of the full unity of all Christians for which Jesus prayed. And the best way to work for this unity is to live in the love of God and our neighbour.

Written by The Most Rev William Goh Roman Catholic Archbishop of Singapore © All Rights Reserved