Thursday of the
Seventh Week of Easter
(Acts 22:30.23:6-11; John 17:20-26)
Today’s first reading illustrates the difficulty of a
divided organization to achieve its purpose. Paul is brought to the Sanhedrin
for trial about false teaching. Fulfilling
the gospel mandate to be “as shrewd as a serpent but as innocent as a dove,” he
exploits a division among the Jews. Part
of the Jewish Sanhedrin believes in the resurrection as Paul certainly
does. Part doesn’t. Paul creates a wedge between the two parts so
that they fail to convict him.
In today’s gospel Jesus prays for unity among his
disciples. He emphasizes those who live beyond the place and the time where he
is. He asks the Father to make them one
in mind and heart. He sees such common
belief and desire necessary if the world is to know the truth. That is, if the world is to know that God the
Father sent His Son Jesus out of love for it, Jesus’ followers must give united
testimony.
Unity challenges
us today. Educated people want to think
for themselves, and many derive ideas at odds with official teaching. For this reason there are thousands of
churches with the name “Christian.”
Nevertheless, the Catholic Church has bishops who along with the pope
declare what is necessary to believe.
They are generally good men worthy of our trust and obeisance.
