Jesus’ Final Prayer: Ut Unum Sinct

A friend recently passed on a quote to me: “The most segregated day in America is Sunday.”

I was left pondering Jesus’ final prayer as recorded by John.
“I pray not only for them; but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be ONE as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be ONE, as we are ONE, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought the perfection as ONE, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me” (John 17:20-23).

Our different “Christian faiths” directly oppose Jesus’ final prayer of being ONE.

St. Paul reminds people to fulfill Jesus’ prayer when he says:
“… so that the body of Christ may be built up, until we attain to the UNITY of faith and knowledge of the Son of God, to MATURE manhood, to the extent of the full stature of Christ, so that we may no longer be infants, tossed by waves and swept along by every wind of teaching arising from human trickery, from their cunning in the interests of deceitful scheming…” (Ephesians 4:12-14).

Let us attain the unity of faith and mature manhood for Our Lord.

“And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way” (Eph. 1:22).
“Rather living the truth in love, we should grow in every way into him who is the head, Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, with the proper functioning of each part, bring about the body’s growth and builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16).

And what is the importance of us being one?

Jesus says, “that the world may believe the [the Father] sent me.”

An effective evangelizer to Jesus is simply unity of faith.

One faith.
One body building itself up in love.

Let us answer the Lord’s prayer.

May the Almighty and loving God bless you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.