Principles of Unity: Communication, Conciliation and Christ
Solemnity of Pentecost: 4th June, 2017
Acts 2:1-11; 1 Cor 12:3-7,12-13; Jn 20:19-23
We are people of the Spirit - that is the reminder we are given with today! We are people of the Spirit - in contrast to the people of the world (if we can make that distinction). But being people of the Spirit is not merely a namesake understanding. Our life has to show that we are people of the Spirit. The fruits and the gifts of the Spirit that we are well aware of, inspires in us a lifestyle that is ideal and an inspiration to everyone around. If we were truly the people of the Spirit, it has to be seen, seen in our daily life, our daily choices, in our very way of life. Infights, ego clashes, misunderstandings, jealousies, misgivings - these are signs of the lack of Spirit. Even some so-called spiritual people give into these deficiencies and that is a clear sign that they are spiritual people only in their name and title.
There are certain principles of unity that the Spirit ensures in a Spirit-filled person. The first of those principles is Communication. Simple blocks in communication among persons are the primary cause of the big unresolved issues. Husband and wife, parents and children, brothers and sisters, kith and kin, friends and neighbours - when communication stops, understanding disappears. communication stops due to blocks like prejudice, taking the other for granted and ego trips. Even when one talks, the other doesn't really understand because the other is listening from his or her own prejudice or pre-understanding. When each one hears only what one wants to hear, there is either lack of communication or gross miscommunication!
Christ is the invincible principle of unity. The Spirit unites us in the Lord. We become one, one in the Lord, one body of Christ and this is possible only through the Spirit. Believing in Christ, has to unite us not divide us. As St. Paul would complain, do not say, I belong to Paul, I belong to Apollos or I belong to Cephas...saying thus you are dividing the Lord. Today the factions that we have among the believers and the way one group vies with the other to increase their numbers or prove their strength is an outright counter witness to the One Lord and that is why, a divided church is the greatest scandal in the world. If we truly believe in One Lord and pledge our allegiance to that One Lord, where does the division and fight come from?
Conciliation is an important principle of unity. We are human persons, each with our own limitations and weaknesses. We cannot avoid little misunderstandings and misgivings, but what is detrimental is, not finding a way out of these misunderstandings and misgivings. A truly Spirit-filled will take the initiative of reconciling with the other. He or she will not look for reasons to blame the other or excuses to prolong the stand off. The Spirit-filled persons will find ready reasons to reconcile, to rebuild relationships and build up the Body of Christ. In a recent meeting with the President of the US, Pope Francis gave him an icon of peace, and insisted that he be promoter of peace and not war! That is the sign of a Spirit filled person.
A true sign of Spirit filled persons is the person's longing for unity and his or her concrete initiatives towards unity!