Thursday of the Seventh Week of Easter
(Acts 22:30.23:6-11; John 17:20-26)
From its earliest days the Church has been plagued by disunity. In several places the New Testament tells of unauthorized
preachers spreading discord. There are
thousands of sects today. Recently two
large groups have strained relations with the Bishop of Rome to the extent that
both may splinter.
One group claims that the Second Vatican Council was in
error. It specifies, contrary to the
Council’s teaching, that people may not follow their consciences in choosing a
religion and that seeking reunion with break-off churches and communities undermines
the pope’s authority. The other group
seeks to liberalize the Church’s teachings on sexual morality.
In today’s gospel Jesus prays for unity among all who believe
in him. He realizes the difficulty of keeping
human minds and hearts united endowed as they are with free will and a gamut of
emotions. Accordingly, Pope Leo recognizes that true unity comes from full union
with Christ. The Church must ever strive
to attain the love Jesus had for his disciples.
It does so by rooting itself in his teaching and seeking reunion based
on its truths.
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