Sevenfold Oneness: The Foundation of Christian Unity
October 25, 2024 - Friday of the Twenty-ninth Week in Ordinary Time
Ephesians 4:1-6
At the heart of today's excerpts from the letter to the Ephesians is a call to unity. In Pope Francis' encyclical letter Fratelli Tutti, we find this statement: "God has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity, and has called them to live together as brothers and sisters" (5). However, the Pontiff speaks about the "shattered dreams" for fraternity and social friendship in the world (see Fratelli Tutti, 10-14). If we add to this the disunity among different Christian Churches and denominations, we realize that unity remains a constant challenge for all of us.
Paul did not speak about global unity; he was concerned with the unity of the Church. The apostle tells us that a life worthy of the followers of Christ entails the following virtues: humility, meekness, patience, and bearing one another in love (see Eph. 4:2). These virtues characterized our Lord, but unfortunately, they do not characterize us. In our world, everyone is called to be proud and to claim their rights. In dealing with others, we are often impatient and intolerant. The virtues that Paul speaks about are not on our radar. We should not be surprised, then, that our world is so fragmented and we are so divided.
One of the greatest ancient thinkers, Confucius, said that "humility is the solid foundation of all virtues," and Václav Havel went as far as to say that the salvation of our world depends on human meekness. Patience is a key to success in every aspect of life, and to sustain human relationships, we need tolerance. Thus, we should re-evaluate our attitude toward these virtues and take Paul's advice seriously if we want to build united Christian communities and a united world: "Live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love" (Eph. 4:2).
As Christians, we are united around sevenfold oneness. The first is "One Body," namely the Church. The second is "One Spirit," namely the Holy Spirit given to us at the moment of our baptism as the pledge of our heavenly inheritance, the gift of the Father (John 14:16; 20:22). The third is "One Hope," which points to Christ's second coming and God's promise of "a new heaven and a new earth" (Rev. 21:1). The fourth is "One Lord," Jesus Christ. The fifth is "One Faith," proclaimed to us by the apostles. The sixth is "One Baptism," our immersion in Christ's death and resurrection, dying to sin and living for God (see Rom. 6:3-8). Finally, the last is "One God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all" (Eph. 4:6).
The apostle advises the Ephesians to strive "to preserve the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:3). The unity of the Spirit is already given by God through this sevenfold oneness, but we need to maintain and preserve it, and peace acts as the glue that holds this unity together. By embodying humility, meekness, patience, and bearing with one another in love, we actively participate in maintaining the bond of peace, reflecting the oneness that God has already established in us.