Even as:
Should we say "ouch" or "amen"?! Ouch because this profound prayer
for Christian unity remains unanswered? Ouch because the scandal
of Christian disunity is an offense against the Communion of Persons we profess
each time we baptize or bless ourselves in the name of the Most Holy Trinity? Ouch because the
Kingdom has yet to be born in my own heart?
Or should we say Amen because we know that we can do
nothing alone? Amen because we are willing to pray, "I believe, Lord, help
my unbelief," and "Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your
faithful..."? Amen because we are willing to work, pray, and
love "'that all may be one"?
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Work. Where do we see signs of
Christian unity in our local, national and global communities? Any place
where the hungry are being fed in Jesus' name. Any place where the
migrant peoples, “strangers and sojourners,” are being welcomed in Jesus’ name.
Any place where the poor--including those who are materially rich, but
spiritually impoverished--hear the Good News proclaimed.
One recent sign of Christian unity at work is the Manhattan
Declaration. Drafted by Orthodox, Catholic and Evangelical
Christian leaders, this clarion call challenges Christians to take
a stand on three vital issues: the sanctity of life, the dignity of marriage,
and religious liberty. With over 500,000 signatures, the Declaration
is a prophetic witness by the entire church of Christ in the face
of powerful ideologies.
Pray. How can we enter into a more
profound communion with God and others through a deeper life of prayer?
The living Word of God needs to be our starting point. Catholics in
particular need to dive more deeply into the Scriptures. We need to
understand that the entire Mass, that Prayer of Prayers, is woven from
beginning to end with words from the Word. We need to take the Scriptures
into the classroom of silence in order that they might bear fruit in our daily lives.
One incredible new resource that's available is the Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible.
With free Apps, software for PCs, sample download of the
Gospel of Mark, plus the entire text of the New Testament with a most
incredible search engine, this is simply a remarkable resource. The Holy Spirit has inspired all of the Scriptures and wants to speak to us in and through them. What
better way to pray than to let God's words open our minds and hearts?
Love. How can Christians overcome
division, disharmony and discord--which are all hallmarks of the father of
lies? It's time to really live
the Lord's Prayer. It’s time to let the
Kingdom come here on earth even as it already is in heaven; it’s time to
acknowledge that we've all wounded and been wounded by others, so we should
forgive even as we long to be forgiven. Check out Matt Maher's four-minute
meditation on this “even as” in his rendition of the Our Father.
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Finally, in a recent Wednesday audience on the mystery of the Church, Pope Francis explained
that God's plan is “to make of all of us one
family of his children, [a family] in which each one feels close to and
loved by him … feels the warmth of being the family of God. The Church—not an
organization born out of an agreement between some persons but … the work of
God, born of this love and progressively built in history—has her origin in
this great plan.”
We are all sons and daughters of a heavenly
Father. Therefore, each of us is challenged to embrace our
neighbors as brothers and sisters, "even as" Jesus embraces us as his
brothers and sisters. Let's continue
saying a wholehearted "amen" to this gift of divine unity, even as the
heavenly host of angels and the communion of saints roots us on!
