Sixth Sunday of Easter – May 25, 2025
The reading today from the Acts of the Apostles recounts an early church conflict. The new Christian community could have fractured at its beginnings if it had not been committed to staying together. Jesus had not left them a manual for dealing with future difficulties. But he did leave them the Holy Spirit to guide them, his peace to quell their fears, and a community of faith to remind them of his promises and example of love.
The Bible is not a handbook for troubleshooting today’s problems. Rather it gives us a new orientation of life that keeps us united in Christ in every age. The early church modeled for us how to listen deeply to one another, humbly embrace change, and, most of all, stay together through turmoil.
Our baptism tethers us to Christ, and the Eucharist strengthens that bond.
Commitment to unity does not mean uniformity or absence of conflict. It means being willing to walk together through the conflict for as long as it takes to encounter the kind of peace Jesus gives.
Disagreements will always remain because the church is a body made up of different members. But what also remains is the Spirit that holds us fast to one another. Our baptism tethers us to Christ, and the Eucharist strengthens that bond. As Jesus promised, the Holy Spirit will guide us in all things, so let us remain anchored in his love.
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