SAINT JUSTIN, MARTYR (MEMORIAL)

That they may be one.

When we hear this prayer of Jesus’, we often think of the call to unity and reconciliation between Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox Christians (John 17:11). We pray for the dialogues happening between these different traditions. Or we think of the ways Christians from different backgrounds can come together in outreach to the poor and needy.

Of course, this kind of unity is important, and we must keep praying for it. But it’s just as important to look at our relationships in our homes and parishes. It’s there, with the people who are closest to us, that we often face the most pressing challenges to unity. It’s there that we often face our own need for the humility and self-sacrifice that can overcome division. And it’s there, mercifully, that the grace of the Spirit is most available to us!

The unity Jesus wants for us is a unity founded on love, the covenant love that he has for all of us. Just as Jesus had given the Twelve the “new commandment” to love one another as he loved them, he says the same to us (John 13:34). In our homes and in our parishes, he wants our love—guided by his own love—to overcome anything that might divide us.

The truth is, we need to be united. We need to love one another. Without love, our hearts shrivel up. Cynicism, bitterness, and suspicion overtake humility, generosity, and perseverance. Instead of coming together, we isolate ourselves, and our words and our lives become like a “resounding gong or a clashing cymbal” (1 Corinthians 13:1).

Right now, you’re probably thinking of one or two situations in which you could be more loving. That could be the Spirit urging you to take the next step toward unity. So take that step, and know that Jesus himself is praying for you.

“Lord, make us one in you!”

Acts 20:28-38
Psalm 68:29-30, 33-36
John 17:11-19