I remember a time when I was at morning Mass. Just before the Our Father, the man next to me reached out to join hands. I explained that the priest was the intercessor for our prayers, and that is why he extends his arms. I am not, so I don’t raise mine. He looked at me funny and said, “I just wanted to know if you’d like to hold hands.”
It occurred to me later: My response was more concerned with the details than with sharing love with my neighbor during the celebration of the Mass.
The devil loves it when we get caught up in the details. To kneel or not to kneel after Communion. Are guitars appropriate for Liturgical Music? I love organ music; a Bible study sister can’t stand it. I’ve heard people nearly come to blows over Latin versus English. Are these details more important than our love for Jesus and for one another?
Even better from the enemy’s point-of-view is when we get caught up in arguments over Ecumenical differences.
As Christians baptized in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, we are One Body. We may be in different places on the journey, but we are headed for the same destination. And there are many things that our Protestant brothers and sisters do that we should embrace. Catholics are immersed in Scripture at every Mass, but do we spend personal time with the Bible and memorize verses? And how about public zeal for Jesus? As one who was raised a “don’t-ask-don’t-tell” Catholic, I have much to learn from some of my Protestant friends.
This doesn’t mean that I dismiss the teachings of the Catholic Church. As a Catholic, I have received the fullness of faith, and that means increased responsibility. While my Protestant siblings believe they only need to confess their sins to God, I understand the Sacrament of Reconciliation and therefore must avail myself of it. Baptist relatives believe that Communion is symbolic. I know that the Eucharist, if consecrated by a validly ordained priest, is the Real Presence, so I had better make sure I receive it worthily.
“From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” Luke 12:48
We all have to live up to the standards of the faith we have been given, whatever that is, because that’s what Jesus is going to expect from us when we see Him again. Yet, we cannot get caught up in the details and dismiss the faith of others who are also members of the Body of Christ, and that includes other Catholics who don’t yet understand the beauty of the Church. He commanded us to Love our neighbor as ourselves. He didn’t ask us to measure each other’s journey. A calculus student and an algebra student are both studying math.
In fact, one of the best ways to foil the enemy is to embrace our brothers and sisters in Christ, to celebrate our similarities, and to join together to fight a war that is already here. The colonists won the American Civil War…with the help of France, Spain, the United Netherlands, some Native American tribes and African slaves. They didn’t do it alone, and neither can Catholics or any single denomination. Christians need to unite under one banner–the banner of Jesus Christ.
We already see examples of this unity on the abortion front and in the fight against the Health and Human Services mandate and other religious liberty attacks. Imagine the power of Christians, loyal to Jesus’ commandments, united to fight the evil that runs rampant through this temporary world.
In Evangelization and the Acts of the Apostles, Dr. Mary Healy points out that the Holy Spirit is attracted to unity and repelled by arguments and disharmony.
Let all Christians – together – raise our voices in prayer and invite the Holy Spirit to guide us to glorify God in all that we do, to follow His will, and to inundate the world with the love of Jesus Christ.
One Body in Christ.
© Jacqueline Vick, 2016
Jacqueline Vick
Jacqueline Vick is a devout Catholic, wife to a wonderful guy, pet parent to a troubled mutt, and mystery writer. Her website is www.jacquelinevick.com.
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