Holy Family 11.1.09 Unity
The Holy Family was perfectly united, with God and with each other, and thus forms the model of all families to follow.
Unfortunately not all families achieve this unity and many families are torn apart, not even getting close to the Holy Family’s level.
Still there is benefit in knowing what ought to be happening as we can work towards it and ask for divine help to move us in that direction (just like we pray for peace even though we are a long way from it).
God wants us to be united with Him and with each other.
(Thus the two great commandments: Love God and Love Neighbour)
Those who are without a family have the Church.
That might sound like cold comfort but if the Church were running as it should the family concept would be very powerful.
Nobody should feel excluded. When families are close that is good - but love should go beyond blood relationships to find everyone else. No member of the human family should be outside the family of God.
Unity begins and ends with God. The Blessed Trinity is a family of Persons.
Unity is perfect with God and loses something in the translation, but in our case it can always be increased or restored.
God wants us to go with this idea to the point that we will desire union with everyone else, even those who are presently our enemies.
It is hard to love our enemies, and we don’t desire their society, even slightly, let alone wanting to be in close union with them.
However, if the love of God exercises its unifying force on us we learn to pray for the person underneath the unattractive surface and pray the mercy of God will make that person all he/she needs to be. By the time this happens we will be glad to know and be in union with said person .
So the Church constantly prays for unity among her members, and along the same lines for those outside the Church to come inside.
Desire for unity is just a slight variation on asking for union with God for our individual selves - which we do all the time as when we ask for mercy or help.
Wanting to be in union with God ourselves extends naturally to wanting others to be in union with Him.
We may strike an emotional barrier there, but the mercy of God will cleanse our hearts of petty malice and desire for revenge etc, and inspire us with a higher vision.
We want peace in the family and we want the family to get bigger, embracing all people everywhere.
It is possible to hide behind a narrow concept of family, caring only for the immediate circle and letting everyone else fend for themselves.
No, we can love the immediate family the most, and this is natural and what God intends. He asks only that we not stop there, and go to others as well.
As Christ came for all, it is understandable that we cannot erect barriers to keep other people out.
This does not mean a false inclusivity that would disregard all distinctions. There can be reasons why a particular person is not allowed to receive the Eucharist, for example. But this is not exclusive. Rather our desire is that everyone be at rights with God and thus included in the Church.
Even when we are divided at present we long for an eventual union. To this union the Holy Family inspires us and assists us by divine grace and powerful intercession.
So we address them: Christ, have mercy on us. Holy Mary and Saint Joseph, pray for us.
No comments:
Post a Comment