THAT THEY MAY BE ONE

REFLECTION FOR 7TH SUNDAY OF EASTER, YEAR C

THEME: THAT THEY MAY BE ONE

R1: Acts 7:55-60

R2: Rev 22:12-14; 6-17; 20, 

Gospel: John 17:20-26_

Dear friends, today is the last Sunday before the Pentecost, when we shall receive the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the principal agent of mission; with the reception of the Holy Spirit, the apostles began a fearless proclamation of the gospel just as we become true witness of the gospel and soldiers of Christ by our reception of the Sacrament of Confirmation. As we go about proclaiming this gospel of Christ, He prays for us (Christians) for dispensers of the gospel and those to whom the gospel is being dispensed. His prayer contains His wish, *“...that they may be one”,* (John 17:20). The unity of Christians forms the basis of today’s reflection. Unity is what we must embrace if we must preach the gospel and if we must win souls for Christ. We have the following lessons to learn from the readings.

*1. The Source of Christian Unity:* 

The basis of Christian unity is the Trinity. We become Christians after we are baptized in the name of the Trinity; Father Son and Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a symbol for Christian love. When we are baptised, we are commissioned to love, for God is love and love is the character of God. Baptism makes us Christian, Christ-like, God-like, hence, love is identical with our Christian character and without love there is no Christianity. 

In the gospel reading of today, Jesus prays, ‘that they may all be one . . . *EVEN AS WE ARE ONE’* (Jn 17:21.22). Jesus, in this prayer opens up for us the reality of the Trinity. ‘Even as we are one’, indicates the unity of Persons in the divine Trinity. ‘That they may be one’, is an invitation to follow the example of the Blessed Trinity, meaning, that they may love themselves as We (the Blessed Trinity) exists in love. This is the hallmark and the summary of Jesus’ teaching, “love of God and love of neighbour” (Mark 12:30-31). To love God is to love His word even when it doesn’t go favourable with our ideology and when it challenges our weaknesses and limitations. It is also to love His ministers who are the dispenser of this message. This was what the Jews and council failed to grasped when Stephen preached in the first reading, hence, they killed him. 

Dear friends, the Word of God may not always be pleasant to our taste and may not always be what we long to hear, let the love God help us to be docile always to accepting this reality especially when it becomes difficult, ‘for nothing good comes easy’ and let us not begin to compromise the truth of the gospel just to win the admiration of people and to seek our personal interests.

*2. The Fruits of Christian Unity:*

 Some time ago, an old man while approaching his death summoned his children and when they have gathered, he gave them a bundle of broom to break. As they tried after turns, they found how difficult it was to break it. Then, he gave them a stick of broom each from the bundle of the broom to break and it was very easy for the children to break the stick of broom. And he told them, “When you are united as this bundle of broom you will always succeed and you can make great achievements in life, but if you are scattered, each like the single stick of broom, you cannot achieve anything and it will be easy for the enemy to penetrate and destroy you.

Jesus, in the gospel reading says something similar to the action of this old man approaching his death. “...if they are one, the world will know the Christ you have sent and they will know that I have loved them as much as you love me” (John 17:22-23). 

Dear friends, we cannot invite people to our homes when we have set our house on fire, they will never come. People will gladly love to visit us even without our invitation when they know that we are very peaceful and friendly. Hence, the best way to preach Christ is by living well and together in love, with one mind and one heart and sharing things in common; this is the meaning of communion, and this will attract followers to Christ more than anything. They first Disciples of Christ were called Christians because they were Christ-like. Their attitude was what won the admiration of so many people who came to believe in the gospel (Act 11:26-27). We can do likewise. Let us live together and set aside our apathies and differences. ‘Together we can.’

*3. The Threat to Christian Unity:* 

In the story of the dying old man and his children as in above, the size of the broom he gave to his children will determine the volume of dirt it will sweet. The bigger the broom, the bigger the dirt it sweeps. The size of a book will also determine the energy one needs to put in reading the book. In the same way, the more united we are, the more challenge we shall face.

Dear friends, one may begin to ask why the Church faces many attacks and criticism in different ages and times. It has been proven that the Church is the most united and organised institution in the world. It is not surprising then that she faces these threats in different ages. In certain times, scientific development has threatened the Church to compromise the truth of the gospel and change some teachings which may not be fitting to some individual ideologies. Those who find no meaning in the teachings of Christ most times break away from Church and found their own churches. Others have stopped going to Church because they want the Church to preach what will favour them. In some circumstances, priests and ministers have been arrested, some imprisoned, some others killed for preaching the truth. This was the experience of Stephen in the first reading of today; persecution for preaching the gospel.

One common saying holds that *truth is bitter.* Being aware of this reality, let us not compromise the truth of the gospel or run away from preaching the truth, come what may, after all, we must all die some day. We should rather remember that Jesus will come again and very soon as read in the second reading. His coming will be to reward everyone according to what one deserves and what we preached (Rev 22:12-13). 

My friends, Christ has revealed to us everything we need to know so that we can participate in the mutual love of the Blessed Trinity. By this his prayer, he has made known to us that the nature of the Trinity is oneness (I have made known to them your name). This statement fulfils his word in Mt 11:27; “No one knows the Father except the Son and whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.” He continues to make known his Father’s love to us through the Church, which he has promised to be with always, “I am with you always till the close of age” (Mt 28:20). Now that we have known God and His nature, let us emulate this divine character for that is the fulfilment of Jesus’ demand, “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect (Mt 5:28).

*Rev Fr Chukwuemeka Vincent Livinus, SMMM.*