Wednesday of the Seventh Week of Easter
In today’s Gospel, we get a glimpse into Jesus’ prayer life. It gives me pause to consider what Christ himself prayed for – what was most important, most pressing for him. Our Lord’s prayer highlights his priorities, the deepest cry of his heart for his beloved disciples. In today’s portion of Christ’s prayer, he asks the Father to keep hold of the disciples, to protect them, that they might be one just as the Godhead is one. Today, let us pray with Christ for unity within the Body of Christ and within the entire human family. If it was important to Jesus, it should be important to us, too, right?
I have a framed print on the wall at home entitled “In His Image.” In the painting you see the head and face of Christ. As you look closely at the image you see that the artist has composed it from a multitude of human faces. You see babies, children, adults, elderly, all races and ethnicities, some famous people, others representing your neighbors. It’s a beautiful image on which to meditate as you contemplate the Body of Christ. We are not only created in God’s image, but we are also meant to exist in God’s image as Christ’s Body – a living icon of unity. What does that mean to you today – what does it mean to you to be one member among the diverse multitude, one within a single Body? What do you see when you contemplate yourself alongside all the other people with whom you are members? Where do you recognize unity; where do you see divisions? What is your role in both?
From a practical standpoint, what does it mean to pray and work for unity? We have so much divisiveness in our world today. Overcoming division and pursuing oneness feels daunting sometimes. Where do we even begin? I’ve been reflecting a lot lately on the interconnectedness of every human person in the divine. We are each a soul who has come from God, exists in God, and is returning to God. Rather than viewing other humans as merely “people,” I’ve started reminding myself to see them as souls. Standing in line at the grocery store the other day, I was caught up in wonderment as I looked around at the crowd of people gathering in line, pushing their carts, bustling about as souls, deeply beloved by God, each one connected with me and interconnected with everyone as part of the human family. As I looked at individuals, I thought, “wow, she’s my sister; he’s my brother; God created her so wondrously; God loves him so deeply . . .” I started thinking about each one’s personal story, wondering what their lives are like. Then my thoughts turned to prayer, “God, help her in her loneliness; God, be his provision; God bless that child to know you personally . . .” I think without knowing it, I just might have joined Jesus in his prayer for unity. When I see others as brother and sister, as beautiful in God’s eyes, as deeply beloved, then I open myself up to transformation. Eventually my worldview changes so that I no longer see differences as threatening, scary, off-putting, or challenging, but I am able to recognize the oneness in humanity, the beauty in diversity, the shared human experience that unites us, the image of God in each one. I no longer think “tribally” in terms of me and you, us and them. I become a person for whom differences no longer become divisions. Suddenly, I’m able to “love my neighbor as myself,” meaning understanding that neighbor to be an extension of my own being. I become a disciple who seeks to embody the oneness for which Jesus prayed.
What does it look like for you, today, to join Jesus in his prayer for unity and to take practical steps toward unity? Wherever you recognize division in your life, ask the Lord to help you work toward unity. Let’s ask God to open our eyes to perceive the Body of Christ through the divine’s lens. Praise the Lord that we aren’t left helpless – we have the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness and to intercede for us. Jesus, help us to be one as you and the Father are one. Amen!
Elizabeth Wourms