May They All Be One

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection . . . 

You don’t hear much about the Sadducees in the gospels, but they played an important role during Jesus’ time.   In fact, the chief priests and most of the Temple authorities were part of this group.   The Sadducees generally came from Israel’s privileged class, and they tended to see the Pharisees as less refined.   The Sadducees taught a strict adherence to the Law of Moses, while the Pharisees took a more open-ended approach to Scripture.

Theological disagreements like this one kindled deep divisions among the people of Israel.   You can see an example of this in the story of St. Paul’s trial in Jerusalem, when a riot breaks out when some Sadducees learn that he is a Pharisee who believes in the resurrection.

As it was in Jesus’ day, so it is now.   Division among God’s people tends to blind us to all that we have in common.   The Pharisees and Sadducees had the same love for the Law of Moses, and they were both part of God’s chosen, holy people.   Today, Christians from many different churches, traditions, and denominations share the Sacrament of Baptism, belief in the Trinity, the centrality of Jesus’ cross, the power of the Holy Spirit, and so many other truths.   For decades now, the Catholic Church has taught that the more we focus on all we have in common, the easier it will be for us to resolve our differences.

This year marks the five-hundredth anniversary of the Protestant Reformation.   In the past this story has been recounted by both Catholics and Protestants in accusatory tones.   But this year, leaders from many different Christian churches commemorated this event together and committed themselves to rediscover the power of the gospel in our day and age.   This gracious approach to our painful history shows us that the Holy Spirit is at work.   At a time when the world seems to be getting more divided, God is helping his fragmented people provide an example of what the path to unity can look like.

So in a spirit of unity and love, let’s all echo Jesus’ heartfelt prayer from the Last Supper:

word among us