Thursday – 7th Week of Easter

Gospel – John 17:20-26

Can’t We All Just Get Along?

Chapel of Tears, Jerusalem

Today Jesus continues His prayer to the Father and He prays for one thing – Unity!  That we all may be one just as He is One with the Father!

We have heard it before: one Lord, one faith, one Baptism, one church, Pardon me for saying this but I’m not seeing much unity these past few months (or even years).  We are so at odds with each other, politically, socially, spiritually.  Everyone seems on edge, ready to pick a fight or argue about anything.  We take sides and then dig in, to the point of demeaning the character of others.  We look for differences instead of appreciating what we have in common.  We lump people into groups instead of appreciating their uniqueness.  In short, we seem to be doing the exact opposite of what Jesus is praying for.  Boy, do we all need a good infusion of the Spirit!

How can we ever reach unity?  The answer, I believe, is in the nature of Jesus’ relationship with the Father.  It is a relationship of love!  They are united in love.  And Jesus’ prayer is that we be one with each other just as Jesus is one with the Father in love.  Jesus wants us to realize that we are all a gift from God and we are called to share that gift, to be that gift to others. 

Do you want unity?  Do you want us all to get along, to treat each other as brothers and sisters, as children of God?  Then we have to build relationships of love, just as Jesus and the Father.  One Lord, one Faith, one Baptism, one Love that unites us all.

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