Holyrood Church 715 West 179 Street, Upper West side Manhattan, USA, 212-923-3770

A commitment to the Gospel

 

 

Good morning, happy Thursday, and blessings.

 

In John 17:20-26 we find a prayer that looks to the future. Jesus was praying not only for the people seated around him at table that evening but also for his future followers, which thanks be to God, includes us. And it is a prayer that focuses on unity, on all being one.

 

In this chapter, Jesus is not offering instructions to the disciples or to the church they will lead. This means, for instance, that as important as evangelism is, when Jesus tells his Father that he is asking "not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word" (John 17:20), he is not exhorting the church to participate in evangelism. Likewise, as commendable as ecumenical partnerships are, when Jesus asks that those who believe and those who do not yet believe "may be one" (John 17:21), he is not exhorting involvement in ecumenical dialogue. Jesus is not exhorting the church here. He is not instructing. He is not preaching, teaching, or rallying the troops. Jesus is praying.

 

Today as await Pentecost, we return to Jesus’ prayer. It is a prayer for community. Jesus prays that, “all may be one.” To be a follower of Jesus is to be a part of a greater whole. According to Jesus there are to be no solitary Christians or spiritual “Lone Rangers.” We must go out to meet those sisters and borthers who have distanced themselves from God or live lying on the path of life without hope or meaning to show Jesus Christ with works and words.

 

Within that community the prayer is for unity: “that all may be one.” Does that mean we all have to get along all the time? Does that mean we all have to agree all the time? If one thinks of this as a functional/political statement, it would seem to call for constant agreement and accord. But if one thinks more in ontological terms then it becomes who we are. We are one in Christ whether we agree with each other or not. We are one in Christ whether we like one another or not. To become a part of Christ is to become a part of the community; a part of the one.

 

Jesus’ prayer reminds us that our unity, our “oneness” is to be a sign to the world of God’s love for us in Jesus Christ. Oneness and unity are about love. And if you have been a part of a family, a member of a church, or a community, you know that within that love there can be disagreements and fighting. We are human. But the mystery of the incarnation is that God desired unity with us so much God became one of us. And in that moment, we were drawn into the oneness of God, the Creator/Father/Mother, the Son, and the Spirit. It is with God’s help that we can live into that oneness.

 

The disciples were in the time between the Ascension and the gift of the Spirit at Pentecost. We are in the time between the first and second coming of Jesus Christ. May we rejoice in the assurance that Christ is with us, continuing to pray for our oneness, our unity.

 

Christian unity is that unique grace of the Holy Spirit which allows believers from all races, ethnicities, nationalities, sexualities, personalities, backgrounds, etc., to be of one heart, mind, and spirit in our love for Jesus Christ and in our commitment to the gospel.

 

Blessings

 

Fr. Luis+

Date news: 
Thursday, May 28, 2020 - 08:15

Ministry at the time of Coronavirus (Covid 19): Prevent, cure and accompany

Now we have to shape what some have started calling; The Church at Home. Although I keep asking myself; What do those who do not have a home do? For this reason, at the same time, I am declaring today in our Holyrood Church a Lenten day of prayer, fasting and reading the Bible in the Time of the Coronavirus.

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