Pope Francis dedicated yesterday’s general audience catechesis to plead for unity during this Week for Christian Unity, which ends on Saturday, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul.
According to the Vatican Information Service, this year’s theme is based on the question posed by St. Paul to the Christians of Corinth: “Is Christ divided?” (1 Cor. 1:13)
“No, Christ is not divided”, said the Holy Father. “But we must recognize sincerely, although with suffering, that our communities continue to experience divisions, which are a scandal. There is no other word for it: the divisions between Christians are a scandal”.
Evoking the words of St. Paul, he added, “Each one of you is saying, ‘I am of Paul’, and ‘I of Apollos’, and ‘I of Cephas’, and ‘I of Christ’. Even those who named Christ as their leader were not applauded by Paul, because they used Christ’s name to separate themselves from others within the Christian community.
“But the name of Christ creates communion and unity, not division! Baptism and the Cross are central elements in our common Christian discipleship. Divisions, on the other hand, weaken the credibility and effectiveness of our commitment to evangelization.”
In his Letter, St Paul rebukes the Corinthians for their divisions, but also gives thanks to the Lord because the community has been enriched in Jesus Christ, “in all speech and all knowledge”.
“These words are not a simple formality,” the pope explained, “but rather the sign that first and foremost he sees God’s gifts to the community, for which he is sincerely joyful. In spite of the suffering of divisions, which unfortunately persist to this day, we welcome Paul’s words as an invitation to rejoice sincerely in the grace conceded by God to other Christians. We have experienced the same baptism, the same Holy Spirit has bestowed grace upon us, so let us rejoice!”
“It is good to recognize the grace with which God blesses us and, moreover, to find in other Christians something which we need, something we can receive as a gift from our brothers and sisters”, continued the Bishop of Rome.
Instead of focusing on what divides us, the Pope is asking us to discover what we can receive from one another.
He advised: “This requires something more. It requires humility, reflection and continual conversion. Let us follow this path, praying for Christian unity and an end to this scandal.”
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