The picture of a table reminds us of a family meal. Not only do we break the bread and share it as a food, but we also share our sadness and joy; we can be together as one family. Today, there are many families gathering at table, waiting for their sons and daughters and parents. What a tremendous joy when the missing children come, and they can sit as one family. “I will go back to my father.” Is there any ideal family in this world? No, there isn’t. Only in Heaven there is!
May everyone at the table eat this bread; may Jesus Christ unite us. We are supposed to forgive each other any hurts that have occurred over the past and live in unity until he comes again. This is not always easy. It is difficult, but possible, because we should be united at the one table with Christ who was born in order to unite what was broken by division of sin.
The whole Christian community throughout the world prays in communion with the prayer of Jesus “that they all may be one” (John 17:21). There are approximately 38,000 different Christian denominations in the world … Jesus prayed for one!
My brothers and sisters, it is very difficult to put together so many pieces of a broken glass. We need to reach out in love to all other Christians with charity to overcome in truth whatever divides us from one another. We need to reach out to members of our families. We can be united. For example, many Christians will participate in the Walk for Life next Saturday in San Francisco in order to protect unborn children. On Monday, we will celebrate the birth of Martin Luther King, a Baptist minister, the youngest ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize for his work to end racial segregation and give equal voting rights to African-Americans. Many of you are helping GRIP, an interfaith, multiracial collaboration founded in the late 1960s that provides services to the Richmond community.
We pray of the prayer of Jesus, the Son of God, that we all may be one.
“Holy Father, keep them in your name that you have given me,
so that they may be one, just as we are.” (John 17:11)
Amen.
Fr. Rafal Duda,
Parochial Vicar
The 2014 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) will take place from January 18-25 under the banner of the theme: “Has Christ Divided Us?” (cf. 1Corinthians 1:13). See here