Love and Unity

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I urge you, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree in what you say and that there will be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and in the same purpose. (1 Cor 1:10)

 That sounds so nice, doesn’t it? Community would be so much easier if we were all united in the same mind. We’d probably have no division if we all agreed with each other, don’t you think? Am I right?

It appears that real people don’t really work that way. Real people think and feel very differently from each other, and that tends to make it harder to agree. Maybe there are times when we can come together with the same purpose, but the same mind? Hm. That’s a tall order.

My community echoes this reading in some of our documents. For instance, our founder, Blessed Jean Martin Moye, told us to be like “true sisters.” I don’t know if you have siblings, but if you do, I’m guessing that you, like me, disagree with them from time to time. When my sister and I were kids, our disagreements were more like fights, and there was a fair bit of screaming involved. Our founder was not an only child, and in fact, he had lots of siblings. Maybe they were better behaved in his house than we were in mine, but I’m guessing that when he said this, he knew the nature of siblings and was calling us to the best of what siblings can be — close in heart, even though we disagree.

In the same spirit, our constitutions say, “The bond of our unity is Jesus Christ calling us to be of one heart and one soul.” That’s lovely and inspiring, but in practice, being of one heart and one soul is a tall order too. This may come as a great shock to you all who aren’t in religious communities, but even nuns disagree on things. True sisters, right? We don’t fight like my blood sister and I did, but we do sometimes think and feel differently from each other. Does that mean we’re not unified? I don’t know. I feel like we are unified. Even if we think about things in different ways, we are close in heart.

It’s likely not just religious communities who are a bunch of people of different minds seeking unity. In the Christian Church, there are disagreements about doctrine and practice, and when disagreements get too big, sometimes churches even split from each other. Even within the same denomination, there are divisions. Speaking as a Catholic, I see discord even in my own archdiocese and within institutions and parishes. When Christians, and particularly Church leaders, are publicly duking it out – ugh – it’s not a good witness. I also wish we’d stop using divisive political terms like liberal and conservative in church contexts, but it turns out that there are divisions in religious circles, and churches can be political too.

So, what’s the deal? Have we just chosen to ignore this call to unity?

I don’t think we’ve chosen to ignore it. When people come together, it’s impossible for us to see things the same way or to think and feel alike, so maybe unity is not really about agreement. Maybe it’s really about listening and love. We know that the Spirit moves within each of us, and when we share with each other, we each bring a piece of the truth and a bit of the wisdom of the Spirit. We also bring ourselves, with our gifts and limitations. Christianity, within and among denominations, can be a big, wide, tall tent. People who identify as progressive or traditional or liberal or conservative or middle-of-the-road (or simply just Christian) all have something important to offer and to share with each other. When we listen to each other, we grow and also deepen our community connections.

Ultimately, we’re unified when we care for each other and trust that, although we may have different perspectives, we’re doing the best we can to authentically share the Gospel as we experience and understand it. This is what Paul is saying, too. It’s not about being baptized into the philosophy of one person or another, no matter how wise or virtuous they are. We’re all baptized in Christ, so it’s about preaching the Gospel. That’s something we do together, and we do that by our words, actions, and attitudes. When we live this way, we can still be true community, and whole and healthy community, even when we disagree with each other.

I do feel a longing for unity that I don’t always see. However, I also believe that unifying ourselves is a process, and leaning into that process moves us toward loving each other. Through our striving for unity, we get to know ourselves and each other and find God in both. The ultimate goal is love, and working for unity moves us toward love. Paul’s right – we don’t belong to one or another. We belong to Christ, and because we belong to Christ, we belong to each other. Even when we disagree.

So what’s the call here? I don’t think it’s to conform our thinking. That’s just not possible, and perhaps God made us diverse for a reason, or for lots of reasons. When we listen to each other and honor the Spirit speaking within each person, we may not agree, but we will come to understand each other. When we seek to understand each other, we remember our common purpose, which is to share the Gospel. Our diversity is beautiful — and a gift. Our call is love, and in our love we’ll find our unity.

 For Reflection:

  • After reflecting on this reading, what do you make of it? What’s coming up for you?

  • Have you ever felt a sense of unity, a common connection or purpose, with other people? What was that like, and how did you get there?

  • What is our common purpose as followers of Christ?

  • What is God trying to say to you in all of this? Maybe take some quiet time just to listen to what God has to say.

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By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP

Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a community-building spirituality ministry in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. She’s a Sister of Divine Providence with a Masters in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. She directs retreats, meets with people for spiritual direction, and serves as the vocation director for her community. She also serves on the Coordinating Council of Spiritual Directors International. She enjoys music, meaningful conversations, dancing, and unity. :)