Jesus taught his disciples to pray: He Himself prayed and is praying for each of us that we may be one with Him. His final words are a prayer for all believers in every age, to be one with the oneness of the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Jesus, with a measure of divine foresight, looks into the centuries to come and sees many believing in Him, namely, through the works and preaching of the Apostles and their successors, the Good News would be spread far and wide. Yet Jesus sees the divisions, even the hatred that occur, among His believers. That’s why He prays to His Father for unity among all His followers.
This unity, this oneness and love among Christians, is to be a sign to the world that Jesus was sent by the Father who loves us as He loves His Son. In the early Church, the Christians had so much great love and unity among themselves, that the pagans testified saying: “
See how these Christians love one another”. This is as if to say that there is something special about them, more than a mere human love and friendship
. The spirit of the early Christians truly bears witness to and is a visible sign of something genuine and true. They were like the
Sacraments, the outward sign of something “
Invisible, Greater”, the Grace of God, for those who receive them.
We know our divisions today, not going too far pointing our fingers at others, we can truly come to our senses and reflect where we sincerely stand. Therefore, as Jesus prayed that all might be one as He and the Father are one, we. too, should implore the Father for mercy, and forgiveness and unity.
As we prepare for the feast of Pentecost, we invite the Holy Spirit to descend upon each one of us and fill our hearts with His Seven gifts from above.
Blessings.
Fr. Mussie