Homily Twenty-Ninth Friday of Ordinary Time (Ephesians 4:1-6) “The Church Needs Unity”
Homily Twenty-Ninth Friday of Ordinary Time (Ephesians 4:1-6) “The Church Needs Unity”
The word that keeps popping out of the Epistle we read today is the word “one.” The writer of Ephesians writes in the Pauline tradition. We are not sure that it is Paul who wrote this letter. Paul ministered to the Ephesians for two years, but this is not a very personal letter.
It may shock us to know that sometimes ghost writers in the New Testament composed scriptures based on what they felt the apostles would have said if they addressed a church community. A way to tell the difference between what a writer like Paul wrote and what someone else wrote was if friends are personally addressed in the letter. In this letter this was not the case. No member of the Ephesian church community is mentioned by name.
The letter is certainly of the Pauline tradition. The person who composed the letter obviously knew Paul and his Theology. What we notice is that the Letter to the Ephesians is a letter to the whole church. It is as important for us to read and understand as it was for the Christians in the first century to read and understand.
What is being said here? What is being said is that unity is important in the church community. The letter speaks of the one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism. If a church community pulls in the same direction great things can happen. If there is division and discord nothing much can be accomplished.
We need to hear that today as we move toward a very divisive election. The election not only touches the civil society, but religion has become central to the whole argument between the political parties. Individuals are denigrated as being Catholic in name only or being extreme in their religious views.
We need to step back a moment and try to see that most everyone who is Catholic sincerely loves the church. The church should not be a point of division, but a catalyst for agreement. One of the few times we have seen Catholics of the political parties coming together with a sense of hope was when Pope Francis addressed a joint session of Congress in his visit to the United States. A Republican Speaker of the House invited him to give the address. Democrats and Republicans were of one heart for a few days. The church, at its best, should be a sign of unity.
Reflection Questions:
- At the present time, do I feel that the church is unified? If the church is divided what is tearing it apart?
- How do I define a good Catholic? How would Jesus define one?
Dear Parishioners,
Today, at noon, we will be ringing the church bell, once again, for all those who have died in our country due to the COVID 19 pandemic. I have tried to ring the bell once for each thousand people who have died. The number has grown to such an extent that I now will ring the bell for a half hour at noon on Friday. This is a grim reminder that the pandemic is real and it’s costing us the lives of many vulnerable people.
Noon on Friday is a time when we remember the beginning of the Lord’s passion. Our Lord is said to have died after being tortured at about 3 p.m. Please fast and pray for those who are going through their own personal passion during this pandemic.
May Our Lady and all the Angels and Saints watch over you today.
Fr. Mark