Preserving the Unity of the Spirit

In the first reading for Mass today from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (cf. 1 Cor. 3:1-9), Paul addresses a situation that has developed among the Christians at Corinth. The reading yesterday (cf. 1 Cor. 2:10-16) touched upon how the natural man does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God describes spiritual realities using spiritual terms, which cannot be understood by the natural man. Then, in today’s reading Paul rebukes the Corinthians for the petty factions and rivalries that they have allowed to fester among them. They have divided themselves according to the different pastors that have come to teach them and form them according to the mind of Christ. The bickering that has taken place between the different factions can be summed up in the slogans “I belong to Paul,” or “I belong to Apollos.” While it appears on the surface that the Corinthians have thus set Paul and Apollos in opposition to one another, what they are really doing is manifesting their own jealousy and their thinking according to the flesh rather than the Spirit. The Spirit of God has unified all people who have accepted the Gospel message, yet these Christians seem to have reverted to a fleshly way of thinking.

This situation with the Corinthians is reminiscent of the Apostles who would sometimes argue with one another about who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whenever the Apostles engaged in this behavior, Our Lord would set them straight by placing before them a little child and teaching them that greatness in the kingdom of heaven means becoming like this child. Greatness is found not in dominating others, flexing our muscles against others, or in being better than others, but is found in becoming the least and placing ourselves at the service of our neighbor. Jesus is the greatest among us and yet he humbles himself to such an extent as to dedicate his life to the service of humanity. We see this in the Gospel reading from Luke today (cf. Luke 4:38-44) as Jesus keeps very busy with works of mercy. He first heals Simon’s mother-in-law before going to a place where he spends the entire day healing sick people with various illnesses and casting out demons. Then, he goes on to other towns to proclaim the good news of the kingdom and heal more people in those areas. Jesus is not interested in posturing, bickering, or petty rivalries. He is aflame with the Spirit of God and shows how this Spirit is given to us to bring healing and unity to mankind.

As Christians especially, we are called not to pick fights or petty arguments with one another but to work towards unity and peace. While fraternal correction, arguments, and disagreements are sometimes necessary, they should always be undertaken in the spirit of preserving unity in the Church. This is one of the fruits that comes from the Holy Eucharist. In paragraph 1323 of the Catechism, the Holy Eucharist is referred to as “a sacrament of love, a sign of unity, a bond of charity, a Paschal banquet ‘in which Christ is consumed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory is given to us.’” Also, in para. 1325, the Catechism says, “The Eucharist is the efficacious sign and sublime cause of that communion in the divine life and that unity of the People of God by which the Church is kept in being. It is the culmination both of God’s action sanctifying the world in Christ and of the worship men offer to Christ and through him to the Father in the Holy Spirit.” Finally, in para. 1327, the Catechism says, “In brief, the Eucharist is the sum and summary of our faith: ‘Our way of thinking is attuned to the Eucharist, and the Eucharist in turn confirms our way of thinking.’”

If we do not learn to think beyond our petty, fallen human nature and strive to reason according to the mind of Christ, then we will contribute further to the formation of factions and rivalries in the Church that are contrary to the Spirit of God. St. Paul asks the Corinthians in today’s reading, “While there is jealousy and rivalry among you, are you not of the flesh, and walking according to the manner of man?” These rivalries are beneath the dignity of those who have received the Spirit of God, especially through the Sacrament of Baptism. It would behoove us to examine ourselves and ask if we are behaving too much according to the spirit of the world, of the natural man. If we cannot detach ourselves from a fleshly way of thinking and continue to foster unhealthy divisions and rivalries, then we will find ourselves embracing a worldly spirit and cut off from the Spirit of God. We will not recognize the movement of the Spirit in our lives. This is especially important to bear in mind as we come into another contentious election season. Christians are expected to act as the spiritually mature members of society who think according to the mind of Christ. It is essential for our own salvation and for the work of evangelization that we set aside our tendencies to factionalize or our engagement in bitter argumentation that does nothing but lead to more discord and rivalries. We must remember that while the Spirit of God is not a cowardly spirit, it is also a Spirit that is peaceful, gentle, patient, kind, chaste, prudent, loving, and any other virtuous traits that are not mentioned here. It would be wise for us to pray for a greater outpouring of this Spirit upon us all so that we might preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace and give a more unified witness of Christ’s love to the world.

– Fr. Matthew Mary, MFVA