[stephenkhoo]

UNITY AND COMMUNION CAN ONLY BE ACHIEVED THROUGH PRAYER AND ADHERENCE TO CHRIST
SCRIPTURE READINGS: 2 SM 5:1-7, 10; MK 3:22-30
http://www.universalis.com/20140127/mass.htm



Unity is the only way to peace because without unity we will not have the strength to defend ourselves from potential enemies of unity in life. It is this realization that the tribes of Israel came to King David at Hebron and appointed him king over Israel and Judah. Only with unity could they withstand their enemies.

The mission of the Church is ultimately the mission of unity. Like King David, we are called to be promoters of unity. Of course, such a calling demands that we must already be promoters of communion now.

Truly, the testing ground of whether we can be truly bearers of unity is determined by how we live a life of communion, especially with difficult people in our midst or those whom we do not like.

More than anyone else, Jesus surely knows what it means to experience disunity especially in family and community life. Last Saturday, we read that Jesus was rejected by His own family and was misunderstood as “mad.” He must have felt terribly lonely and hurt. The gospel also tells us that He was also rejected by His bigger family when His townsfolk did not accept Him. It is within such a context that we can understand better when He spoke of the unity needed in every household.

What, then, are the obstacles to unity? Fear and pride are the primary reasons. The offspring of fear is jealousy. It was fear that made the scribes and Pharisees defensive of their profession and religion. It was also jealousy that made them accuse Jesus unfairly, making hurtful and presumptuous judgment about Jesus’ power to cast out demons. However, it was pride that caused them to be unreasonable in concluding that Jesus cast out demons through Beelzebub, the prince of devils. For the same reason, they committed the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit by refusing to engage in dialogue.

To overcome the obstacles of unity, we need to be able to recognize that we are all brothers and sisters firstly on the human level. Isn’t that what the tribes of Israel said to David, “’Look, we are your own flesh and blood.” In saying this, we are not simply saying that we are relatives of each other but that because we share in the same human nature, we should very well know that we all want to be treated with respect, justice, love, compassion and forgiveness. As Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount said, “Do unto others what you would like others to do unto you.” Conversely, as Confucius said, “Do not do unto others what you would not like others to do unto you.”

Secondly, on the spiritual level, do we recognize that we all belong to the same house with Christ as the Head of our household? This is what Jesus is asking of us. We must move beyond the human relationship to that of spiritual relationship. If we are members of the Body of Christ and members of God’s household, we must remain united at all costs, for as Jesus reminded us, “If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot last. And if a household is divided against itself, that household can never stand.”

Thirdly, can we recognize that in this family of God, the Holy Spirit has apportioned gifts to each of us according to His wisdom and authority for the sake of unity? Could we then be humble and generous enough to recognize God’s gift in each one of us? Would we be humble to someone who has been appointed to lead us, saying as the leaders of the tribes said to David, “You are the man who shall be shepherd of my people Israel, you shall be the leader of Israel.” Or would we become jealous of the authority and the gifts of our brothers and sisters, which then causes us to pass uncalled for remarks, such as he has “an unclean spirit in him” as was imputed to Jesus by His opponents?

The truth is that preserving and fostering unity cannot simply be a human endeavor. If the work of Christ and the mission of the Church is to promote unity, then the work of the devil is to destroy unity, beginning with the individual, the family, the Church and society.

That is why we need a strong man to deal with the power of Satan over us. As Jesus advised us, “no one can make his way into a strong man’s house and burgle his property unless he has tied up the strong man first. Only then can he burgle his house.” Who could be this strong man who can overcome the power of Satan, the master of deceit and temptation, if not Jesus our Good Shepherd and our King?

King David could do a good job of uniting the different tribes of Israel only because the Lord was with him. The responsorial psalm tells us, “I have found David, my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him, that my hand may be always with him, and that my arm may make him strong.” Indeed, the Lord remained faithful to David and His mercy was with him. Indeed, the first reading noted, “He grew greater and greater, and the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him.”

Christian unity can only come about through prayer. Without prayer, we cannot speak of dialogue, mutual understanding and respect; much less about fraternal love and fraternal correction. This explains why at the end of His life, Jesus’ final prayer was a prayer for unity among His disciples. He knew too well that if His disciples were divided, everything would be undone, no matter the good that each individual does. Without communion, there is no mission to speak of since our mission is communion.

Living in communion is indeed a challenging task. Community meetings, talks, homilies, fellowship alone cannot unite us. These are superficial forms of promoting unity. The heart of unity demands that we are all rooted in Christ, especially in prayer, so that we will always be humble in accepting correction and even humiliation, courageous in accepting the truth, open to the opinions of others, and sensitive to each other’s needs; and most of all, willing to forgive and heal situations.

Pray for unity daily. Pray especially to the Holy Spirit, the principal of unity, as Jesus asks us, so that we will always be humble and courageous enough to seek dialogue, forgiveness and healing. Intercede every day for each other that we might always be in communion. Pray for your fellow brothers and sisters and all those in authority, that we will always be bearers of unity and communion.