A reading from the holy Gospel according to John 10:27-30
Jesus said: "My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one can take them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one can take them out of the Father's hand. The Father and I are one."
REFLECTION: The Father and I are one
In the last few weeks, my conversations have centered around the idea of diversity in unity.
If I am not mistaken, the word "catholic" stems from the Greek word meaning "universal".
One of the central ideals of Catholicism is unity--one in the Body of Christ, one in the one Father. Like peace, we all agree that unity is a good and true ideal, and like peace, we struggle to obtain it.
Our Lord in this passage shares with us His relationship with God the Father within the Blessed Trinity.
To be made in the image of God is to be made and born into a family. It is the first place in which we should experience a sense of unity. When I was growing up, we had only one car, so to get anywhere, we had to wait until all were ready before we could leave the house. It was very important for my mother that we all attended Sunday Mass together and had dinners together.
Ultimately, it is the Holy Spirit who unites us to each other. To remain in unity is to abide in God Himself. May we not forget that as we strive to work for unity within the Church. May we also not forget the Holy Father as the symbol and the shepherd that our good Lord has given to us in this time of the Church.
This Vocations Sunday, let us pray for priests to be true instruments of unity in the Church and the world.
