CONFORMING CHURCH VERSUS COMMUNING CHURCH

V/​ I will turn to you O God, 

R/​ to God who gives joy to my youth

V/​ Give me the Wisdom that sits by your throne; 

R/ that I may be counted among your children

Lord, in your all-providential plan, you have led me to this moment to rediscover me in your Word and Wisdom. Aid me to make this time of meditation and prayer enriching, transforming, and liberating for my well-being and others. Amen!

CONFORMING CHURCH VERSUS COMMUNING CHURCH

By Fr. Clement Obiorah

Seventh Sunday of Easter

Acts 7:55-60; Psalm 97(96): 1-2, 6-7; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20; John 17:20-26

1st June 2025

In our first reading, Stephen, inspired by the Spirit, eloquently conveyed the revelation of Jesus in a manner that aligns with Jewish expectations of the Messiah. However, driven by jealousy and conflicting interests, he was silenced under accusations of blasphemy and unconventional interpretations. His martyrdom mirrors that of Jesus Christ, who, in the face of his own execution, forgave his killers and prayed for their ignorance. This resonates with all who endure oppression and seek the hope of genuine fellowship, as highlighted in our second reading. The passage from Revelation complements the first gospel found in Genesis, emphasising the triumph of Christ, referred to as the Alpha and Omega — who, as the head of the church and of redeemed creation, ultimately defeats Satan, the embodiment of rebellion and division (cf. Gen. 3:15).

The fall was the Pandora’s box of every form of division, and all that disintegrates and plagues humanity today, even in the Church. The early Church clearly illustrates that Christian unity has not always been perfect. Today’s liturgy emphasises that as a community of Christ’s faithful, we are part of a dynamic communion that seeks to glorify God. How we choose to respond to our differences is crucial for the credibility of the Christian message of love. Moreover, the scandals stemming from Christian disunity have become increasingly evident since the great schism between Eastern and Western Christianity in 1054, and the fragmentation of Western Christianity into numerous divisions since 1517. Our efforts to reach out to non-Christians highlight the absurdity of this disunity. A multitude of quarrelling factions hardly presents an effective image of divine love. Often, we go as far as slandering one another to prove our point, or even justifying violence in the name of God, ultimately leading to segregation. As the evangelist reports:

“They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.” (1 John 2:19)

This is precisely why Jesus in our Gospel concludes his priestly prayer for unity in God, who of himself is a perfect community of divine persons and not a solitary or monarchical being. Jesus earnestly prayed, “…may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us.”  This is to be a sacrament of salvation, He says, ‘that the world may believe that you sent me.’  The Love, which unites the divine persons in an eternal communion, is the same Christ lays out, and has become ours by the love we bear one another in, understanding, accommodating, forgiving, and journeying with others as CHRIST did. The unity of the first disciples and indeed the wider circle of future disciples validates this witness to the abundant beauty in God. 

This for Blessed Francisco Palau is “beautiful as a divinity,” and transfixed with filial love, we are led to plead, paraphrasing the Apostle St. Philip: “Lord, show us the glory of our Mother, the Church, and that will be enough for us” (cf. Jn 14:8).

The glory of our Holy Mother Church holds for us the unity of children who may differ in approaches and expressions, but remain true to communion in the one Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:13) Perhaps, this could be the right way to rethink Ecumenism; is it about conformity or communion? And for those quick to distance themselves, does difference suggest only division and not enrichment through relationship?

This holds powerful lessons for family life and all manner of relationships. Our core belief is that the love of Jesus should remain the reference point for mutual understanding and interpretation. As Pope Leo rightly states in his motto, in the One, we are one. To this, the Catechism posits that, within the unity of the People of God, a multiplicity of peoples and cultures is gathered together. The great richness of such diversity is not opposed to the Church’s unity.