Word to the Wise
Tuesday, October 23, 2012 - Tuesday in the 29th Week in Ordinary Time
[Eph 2:12-22 and Luke 12:35-38]So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. [Eph]
Family divisions are painful. When one or more members of a family are estranged and refuse to communicate, a tension arises that impacts all family gatherings, even if the estranged members are not present! Their absence speaks loudly of the separation. A family member may leave the family home because of a quarrel, but he or she, no matter how they try, can never leave the family. No matter how far apart they may live or how many years they haven't spoken to one another, family members remain related to one another. I think this idea is an important one as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the beginning of the Second Vatican Council. In particular, I think the ecumenical efforts that were begun as a result of the council's document, UNITATIS REDINTEGRATIO, reflect the challenges of restoring family unity after long estrangement.
Every baptized Christian belongs to the "household of God." However, since the 11th century, Christianity has been a broken reality. In the year 1054, the Orthodox church and Roman Catholic Church mutually "excommunicated" each other, and in the 16th century, the Protestant Reformation broke the family unity even further. After the Second Vatican Council there were unrealistic and enthusiastic efforts to overcome the separations, but family feuds take a LONG time to heal. Jesus did pray at the Last Supper, "that they may all be one..," but we humans have found it too hard to stay together. This does not mean that we give up on unity altogether. The Holy Spirit continues to work with us - all of us who are baptized. We in the Catholic Church still have some soul searching to do as well as anyone else. All of us should pray with Jesus that we may all be one. AMEN
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