Daily Reflection

Some of the "good old days" were pretty awful. Days when people who disagreed with your religious beliefs could have you beheaded; when any questioning of authority could lead to burning at the stake when unanimity seems to have been prized so highly. Unity is important, of course, for a country, a church, a community. Ephesians says: "Make every effort to preserve the unity which has the Spirit as its origin and peace as its binding force" (4:3). Unity, however, is not the same as uniformity. Ephesians continues: "There is but one body and one Spirit, just as there is but one hope given all of you by your call. There is one lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all" (4:5-6). Christians of many different stripes share much of this. Two practical conclusions suggest themselves. One: we share much in belief and practice with our fellow Christians and should emphasize that more often. When our Presbyterian neighbor is crushed by sorrow we can speak of the trust we share in Christ; that is more significant than our differences. Two: with fellow Catholics we also have a deep-down unity despite the fact that we must at times disagree on the implementation of Christ's teaching. Just as married couples do better to concentrate on what originally drew them together than on minor irritations, we could profitably with other Christians and fellow Catholics underline how much we have in common, above all our trust in the Lord.

The Rule of Saint Benedict : Todays Reading

Saint John's Abbey is online at http://www.sja.osb.org/