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"United in Christ: Overcoming Division and Embracing Grace"
1 Corinthians 1:18-31
As we read Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians this Sunday, we see that the Christians there were beginning to divide into opposing camps. They were acting as if some of them had found a better formula for following Christ than others. This behavior was causing envy, jealousy, anger, divisions, and backbiting - everything that is contrary to true Christianity.
But Paul reminds us that Christianity is primarily about what God has done and wants to do for us, not what we can do for God or for ourselves. The hope, forgiveness, and spiritual strength we have found in Christ are not the product of human effort but a gift from God, a grace.
As a result, it is ridiculous for us to start dividing into groups as if one group could concoct a more potent Christianity than another group. All that we most deeply desire we receive from Christ, not from ourselves.
It is through God's gift, Paul writes, that we "are in Christ Jesus." And it is Christ who has brought us the new life, full of substantial hope and meaning, that we enjoy. In other words, God is the protagonist of meaning in our lives; we are dependent on him.
Keeping this in mind is what it means to be "poor in spirit," a virtue praised in Sunday's Gospel. Let us keep this in mind as we strive to be true followers of Christ, united in our love for God and for one another.
By turning the Corinthians' attention to Jesus, Paul knows he will strengthen that young community of new Christians.
But the same thing goes for us.
The Church is guaranteed by God to endure until the end of time, but that endurance can be either in spite of us or through our collaboration.
In every period of history, in every particular place, every individual Christian community has an opportunity and responsibility to be a healthy cell that strengthens the Body of Christ, the Church.
We can only be that healthy cell if we are united.
And we can only be united if each one of us has Christ as our leader.
Not a pocket-sized Christ whittled down to personal preferences and prejudices, but the Christ we are given by the Church.
The more focused we are on the Christ of the Gospels, the Christ of the sacraments, the Christ of the Catechism, the Christ preached, the more focused we are on the true Christ, the more unified we will be,
the healthier our community will be, and the more effective we will be in helping to transform the lives of those around us.
Let's thank Christ for his gifts, and let's promise him that, starting this week, starting today, we will not waste our energies on useless criticism, fruitless arguments, and divisive rivalries. We will love one another, lift each other, allow God's grace to flow, and focus our lives on Christ.
Prayer for Unity
Dear Lord,
We seek your guidance and comfort as we navigate the difficult path toward unity and grace in our world.
We know the world is often divided and torn apart by hate, mistrust, and misunderstanding. We see this division and strife in our communities, in our own families, and even within ourselves.
But we turn to you, Lord, for hope and healing. We know you are the source of all love, compassion, and grace. We trust in your promise that where sin abounds, grace abounds even more.
We pray for the strength and courage to extend grace to those who have wronged us. We pray for the wisdom to understand and forgive those who have hurt us. We pray for the compassion to see the humanity and the pain in those who have caused us harm.
We also pray for the unity of your people, Lord. We pray that we may put aside our differences and that we may learn to see each other as fellow children of God. We pray that we may learn to love and accept one another, despite our flaws and imperfections.
We ask for your guidance and grace, Lord, as we strive to become more like you. We know that this is not a task we can accomplish on our own, but we trust in your power to work in and through us.
We ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and Savior. Amen.
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