Throughout sacred Scripture, our Lord calls His children to be one in Him. Christ speaks often about unity in the Gospels. The Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles carry this message of communio into Christendom, yet division has become a societal expectation. We see it in our politics, our families, and in the Church.
Our cultural divisiveness is a frequent topic of conversation, well-identified as a universal issue. What perpetuates this unhealthy darkness? Ironically, to ask that question would likely lead to severely divided positions, with each camp insisting that its opinion is the only truth, while the opinions of others lack validity and lead the faithful into error.
To be more concerned with proving ourselves right than we are with charitable interaction makes a mockery of St. Paul’s words: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:16-17).
Unity does not begin with directives from the diocese, the deaneries, or even our parishes. Communio begins when individuals make a prayerful and conscious decision to unite with others in Christ. When we receive our Lord in the Eucharist, it is not only a building of relationship between ourselves and Jesus. That participation is an acknowledgment of our willingness to become like Christ, sacrificing ourselves at the altar, and in the world, for the sake of our brothers and sisters.
Each personal encounter with Jesus in the Eucharist is an opportunity to invite and allow Him to transform our hearts and nurture our personal relationship with Him. In partaking of the Eucharist at holy Mass, we agree to participate in His sacrifice on the altar. We offer ourselves as a living sacrifice for the love of God and neighbor.
Properly disposing ourselves to worthy reception of the body and blood, soul and divinity of Christ in the Eucharist begins with regular self-examination of conscience and frequent partaking of the sacrament of reconciliation, with habitual attention to the disposition of our souls and relationship to our Lord. By this, we grow in virtue and find ourselves longing to bring others into relation with the whole Church.
As we grow more Christlike in our participation in the gifts of the sacraments, we begin to become the people we were created to be. In doing so, we decrease and Christ increases in us. Over time, we may begin to realize that we have a longing for daily time in silence with sacred Scripture, more frequent Mass participation, and transforming time in eucharistic adoration.
The Holy Spirit will begin opening our eyes and our hearts to the needs of those around us. In our inviting them to participate in the activities of communio, like adoration, small group programs, eucharistic procession, book studies, and storytelling, we begin to put aside inconsequential differences in favor of building up the body. In other words, we begin to approach others with great charity rather than harshness, with relational simplicity in favor of transactional checklists, and with compassionate admonition in place of caustic argument in social media.
We are called to be like Christ in our chaotic society, and our sometimes-chaotic Church. If we persevere in meeting Him in our heart, we are transformed into His emissaries; His mouth, hands, and feet, becoming an evangelistic people, gently imparting the Gospel into every encounter of our daily lives.
Deacon Jim Bello is director of the Diocese of Knoxville’s Office of Christian Formation. He serves as deacon at Holy Spirit Church in Soddy-Daisy.