The on-going scandal of Christian division which began with the East-West Schism of 1054 and then took on another dimension with the Protestant Reformation and Revolt beginning in 1517, continues to plague the Church and its mission in the world.
Jesus’ prayer for the disciples at the Last Supper is for the oneness of the Church. His prayer that we might all be one is not merely for the sake of unity and peace, but as a sure sign of the truth and power of the Gospel to the world. The genuine failure of the proclamation of the Gospel to the world is a direct result of the internal struggle within the Church.
Each week at Mass we profess a belief in the “One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church” and do so without giving much thought to what those words mean not just to us as a community, but also to those who are outside of the community.
The “oneness” of the Church connects us to a singularity of relationship to Jesus Christ. As the father has but one son – Jesus Christ – so that same Jesus sets the foundation for one Church.
It is true that for those outside of the Christian faith the multiple sects or ecclesial communities that identify as Christian remains confusing and scandalous. Those who are discerning Baptism must search for a community within the community instead of being drawn to the community as a whole. When there are mere distinctions of practice – liturgical language and expression for example – then other considerations can abound. However, when deep theological division exists between the communities, and where they fail to recognize the legitimacy or validity of the other, then much damage is done to the Body of Christ.
The great vision in the final chapter of the Book of Revelation, which is the source of our Second Reading says in part: “Blessed are they who wash their robes so as to have the right to the tree of life and enter the city through its gates.” This vision is a reflection of the great multitude spoken of earlier in Revelation. There is but one city – the new and heavenly Jerusalem – which is the promise and the hope of the baptized. All Christians desire eternal life and all Christians seek the unity and peace that comes from a relationship with the Lord.
Absent a reality of unity in the Gospel present in this world, the promise stands as a hollow one. While Jesus does not demand or command unity but rather prays for unity, Jesus knows well the frailties of human nature and our propensity to sin. The virtues expressed in the Beatitudes give way to the deadly sins as our wounded nature takes over.
The false notion that we are all one anyway is pervasive in our society. Those who fail to recognize the differences inherent in each of the Christian denominations, ecclesial communities and cults does a great disservice to the proclamation of the Gospel and the truth professed in the creeds.
We recognize in this week where having celebrated the Ascension we await the coming of the Spirit at Pentecost, the call to unity and pray that the Holy Spirit will give us the wisdom, courage and humility to set aside the desire to win and enliven within us the desire to be one so that we can welcome Christ at the end of time as the Church he founded and not as the ones we made up.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.