THE SEED OF UNITY

Meditation for Tuesday of the 24th Week in Ordinary Time
(1 Cor 12:12-14, 27-31; Lk 7:11-17)

Wherever there is disunity, hardly anyone will claim responsibility for it. Family tussle is on the increase in our society today. Election time in most countries exposes the deep-rooted division that contradicts the National Anthem of that country. The Church, the body of Christ, seems to be the most wounded by this wave of division. We all claim innocence and deny we are not to blame for the lingering mark of disunity in every aspect of our lives. Obviously, the desire for unity is as strong as the desire for happiness and life itself. That is why, while we talk so much about promoting peace and unity, we may get so intoxicated about it that our actions prove otherwise.

If we listen to St Paul’s message in the first reading, we shall get an insight that can help us promote unity. He says, “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” Unity comes when we work together as members of the one body. This can only be possible when we respect and accommodate the uniqueness of each member. To live in unity, therefore, implies to share life with others. But who actually wants to share life with others? We hardly have enough time and resources for ourselves. Online connection, technical unity cannot make us ‘one body.’

St Paul recognizes that the unity that makes us ‘one body’ is the work of the Holy Spirit. “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…and all were made to drink of one Spirit.” The same Spirit working in the different members is the principle of unity. Each member is expected to cooperate with the Holy Spirit within him. The different gifts of the Holy Spirit are manifestations of each person’s cooperation with the Sprit. Thus, living out the gifts of the Holy Spirit testifies that one is in union with the Spirit. In turn, these gifts and responsibilities help to build up and strengthen the Body of Christ. On the other hand, if we withdraw our attentiveness to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, the seed of disunity will begin to germinate.

Disunity is as cold as death; it renders our lives dry and isolated. In the house of disunity, the beauty of variety fades away, creativity becomes vague, life becomes monotonous and revolves round the same circle of ideology. Then, we point fingers, denying responsibility and hoping to derive justification from the guilt of others. But all we need is to allow the grace of God to carry us to meet Jesus. As He restored life to the young man at Nain, so He will revive us again in the Holy Spirit. Think about the spiritual revival you need today; that is where unity germinates. Unity is the testimony we bear, that is how we proclaim in the words of the people of Nain, “God has visited His people!” Amen.  

Fr Jude Chinwenwa Nwachukwu, C.Ss.R

Saints Peter & Paul Catholic Church,

Tedi-Muwo, Lagos.

Tuesday September 13th, 2022.

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