5th Sunday after Pentecost 5 July 2009 Sermon

5th Sunday after Pentecost 5.7.09 Fraternal unity

The Gospel calls us to a fraternal spirit of unity among the congregation. There should be unity within the Church anyway, and especially at the celebration of Mass.

We have to be united before we start Mass, but Mass will have the effect of increasing unity.
However the Mass cannot fix a complete lack of unity. If A and B hate each other before Mass they will probably still do so after Mass.

This raises the question of the value of each Mass. Every validly offered Mass is a perfect sacrifice insfoar as Christ offers Himself. The Father could never be displeased by the offering of His Son.

But Masses can vary as to the amount of benefit received by those taking part. How much they benefit will increase or decrease according to the attitude they bring.

A lot of discord will reduce the effect of the Mass even on innocent parties. So if A and B are at odds with each other C and D will receive less benefit from the Mass, even though unaware of the conflict. In this sense we can build up or bring down the community by our individual attitude.

If there is a high level of unity in the congregation that should help even the stranger who turns up only on that day.

We are the Body of Christ and like the human body the different members feel the concord or discord in the rest of the body.

So we are exhorted to do what we can to increase the unity in the Body. If we go some way to getting it right God’s grace will carry us the rest of the way.

One thing we can do is direct our minds to higher things. We could find something wrong with every person in the church if we let ourselves.

Or we could go above that, and say that I am here to worship God - not in such a way to exclude other people, but focusing on Him I am far more likely to have a good disposition to those around me.

So we do not dwell on grievances but instead immerse ourselves in God, thinking about His mercy and goodness. We let that take root, take hold of us, and we are lifted to a higher level.

We cannot lift ourselves. We cannot simply turn on niceness and love, like flicking a switch. We can pretend to be loving but that is useless. To be really loving is only possible if God acts in us.

What does it mean to be reconciled with our brother? In a typical Church parish or group there are many other people. We have different sorts of grievances with different people. We cannot line up with everyone on every point. Often it is not always an exact grievance so much as a general dislike or discomfort.

A specific issue could be resolved, but a lot of the disunity in a congregation is just a lack of goodwill stemming from an excessively worldly thinking. I don’t like this or that person, or this or that kind of person.

The solution is to include others in the general goodwill that comes from Chirst. We do not impede the mercy of God reaching all who need it. We let the Mass do its work. The Prince of Peace unites us in His own body: Jew and Gentile, male and female, north and south, short and tall... and every other possible division. If we are reconciled with Him we are off to a flying start to find union with each other.

Our unity is increased, if not yet perfect, and a more genuine charity will be evident.

What if the others do not think all these lofty thoughts and I am the only one trying to be reconciled? It is just one more thing that needs the mercy of Christ.

One person really trying to get this right will certainly exert a good influence on the others even if they need longer to come around.

Ut unum sint! That they may be one – in belief and in charity.