A FEAST OF UNITY

 

A FEAST OF UNITY 

 

Not many people, even Catholics, realize that the pope, the head of the universal  Church, is also bishop of Rome and that his cathedral is not the Vatican. Not  many know that the popes have lived from the fourth to the fourteenth century  not in the Vatican but in the Lateran Palace. Because the Lateran Basilica is the  cathedral of the bishop of Rome, we commemorate today the dedication of  the first Lateran Basilica, which was built by Emperor Constantine the Great.  This beautiful church is dedicated to the Savior and to St. John the Baptist and  St. John the Evangelist. Above the entrance, the visitor can read: “Mother and  Head of All the Churches in the City and in the World.” 

 

This leads us to reflect on the relevance of this feast for us. St. Caesarius  wrote: “Although the universal Church of God is constituted of distinct orders of  members, still, in spite of the many parts of its Holy Body, the Church subsists  in an integral whole, just as the Apostle says, ‘We are all one in Christ,’ nor is  anyone separated from the office of another in such a way that a lower group  has no connection with the head.” 

 

And so today’s feast makes us aware of our unity with other churches all  over the world, and of the unity of all these churches with the one in Rome,  the Mother and Head. It saddens me sometimes when I see our non-Catholic  brethren split into countless competing churches, sects, and communities. Was  not one of Jesus’ last prayers a prayer for unity? 
 

We are all individuals with different temperaments, ideas, and plans. Even  in a small community, it is hard to be always united. That the worldwide  Catholic Church remains somehow united is close to a miracle. We can see  here the working of the Holy Spirit through the Pope. Today’s feast then brings  us to Rome, and invites us to pray for the Holy Father and for unity among  all Christians, so that Jesus’ last wish will come true: “That all may be one.”  Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS 

Do you contribute to unity in the place where you live and work? What more can  you do as an agent of unity? Do you pray for the unity of all Christians? 

 

Lord, help me to contribute to the unity of all Christians by working for it in my home, community, and workplace. Amen. 

 

Today, I pray for: __________________________________________________________