UNITY AND GROWTH
Meditation
for Thursday of the Third Week of Lent
(Jer 7:23-28; Lk 11:14-23)
“Every kingdom divided against
itself is laid to waste.” When people are asked to maintain peace and unity,
some people raise shoulders high as if some others need it more. Look around,
you will see so many family feuds. And sometimes parents foolishly culture
their children to maintain certain line of disunity in the family. The readings
of today draw our attention to the fact that unity brings stability and
progress. There hardly can be wholesome growth and stability without unity. A
nation or an organization laden with internal disunity has no bright future; sooner
or later, it will be laid to ruin!
Unity manifests itself as an
internal attitude each person nurtures within him. A person who is not at peace
within him cannot swim in the waters of unity. According to the prophet
Jeremiah, it is in keeping the commandments of God that we nurture internal
unity. He outlined selfishness and stubbornness of heart as obstacles that
prevent us from keeping God’s commandments. “But they did not obey or incline
their ear, but walked in their own counsels and the stubbornness of their
hearts, and went backwards and not forward.”
Once the heart is disunited from
God, our view of life will be clouded with conflict and disunity, like those
that accused Jesus of casting out demon by Beelzebul. For them, a divided house
was the norm! If their hearts were united with God, they would have perceived
the power of God at work around them. Jesus said to them, “But if it is by the
finger of God that I cast out demons, then the Kingdom of God has come upon
you.” Truly, the kingdom of God shines out upon every heart that is united with
God by keeping the commandments. And the Kingdom of God and its righteousness never
passes by every household, organization or nation that is united; it knows
stability and growth, and will never be laid to waste. Amen.
Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R
Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,
Tedi-Muwo, Ojo, Lagos.
Thursday March 24rd, 2022.
