SAINT TURIBIUS OF MOGROVEJO, BISHOP (OPTIONAL MEMORIAL)

I will . . . gather them from all sides. . . . I will make them one. . . . My dwelling shall be with them. 

What a promise! And how unrealistic it must have seemed to those who heard it!

The people listening to Ezekiel’s prophecy had seen the kingdom of Israel split in two and descend into war with each other with alarming regularity. Then they had been driven from their land and forced to live in exile in Babylon. How could they ever believe that God would bring them back home, reunite them with their scattered brothers and sisters, and forgive the sins that had caused so much upheaval?

Surprisingly, this “gathering” began to occur over the centuries that followed. But it was sporadic and partial at best. Then came Jesus. Offering his life in sacrifice for Israel, and for all people, he broke down every “dividing wall of enmity” (Ephesians 2:14) and brought people from every nation into his Church. Sending his Spirit to dwell among us, he made the Church, and everyone baptized into it, a sign of unity and an instrument of peace in the world.

This means that you can be an agent of unity. Every time you do the simplest kind act for another person out of love, you participate in God’s work of healing relationships. It may involve patient listening, assuming another person’s good intentions, or looking for ways to show love to a difficult person. When you are tempted to push someone away, God invites you to look for the ways he longs to bring people together.

We know how hard this can be. But remember, God has made us one in Christ, and he continues to deepen our unity every time we come together to celebrate the Eucharist. It is there that we receive the grace to be gatherers, not scatterers. It’s there that we can learn to see other people as the Lord does. By his Spirit, we can live as one!

“Lord, strengthen me so that I can be an agent of unity rather than of division.”

Ezekiel 37:21-28
(Psalm) Jeremiah 31:10-13
John 11:45-56