Today’s lesson, from the letter of Paul to the community at Ephesus, is one of unity. Paul emphasizes the favor and obligation God – through Jesus Christ – has placed on those of us who dwell on the earth.
We are a people blessed with love, not only for the glory of God’s grace, but also for each other: the second Commandment. So, if we love one another, unity would seem to be a natural consequence. However, God also bestowed upon us, uniquely, the gift (maybe the challenge!) of free will. But then, there is the additional gift from God, the Holy Spirit, recognized by the Jewish, Christian, Islamic, and Hindu traditions, which are estimated to account for the spiritual foundation of more than 70% of the world’s people. Further, as followers of the Catholic tradition, we have the Holy Eucharist to nourish us for our journey.
We are, therefore, armed with the tools to get along!
And this is where sometimes we may wonder if God is frustratingly amused or disappointed in us. We created remarkable civilizations and organized our way into and out of countless challenges. How many times have we heard the phrase ‘when disaster struck, the community worked together’? This is where we find hope – and maybe the Holy Spirit -working right in front of our eyes.
Now, we read about natural disasters in Texas, California, and even Vermont, with the remnants of Hurricane Beryl. There’s flooding in Switzerland and South Africa, and China. And we hear of neighbors helping neighbors, often regardless of societal or political borders. But then there are the disasters of our (that is the civilized world’s) own making. In Gaza, Ukraine, Haiti, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Yemen, Sudan, and other places where the folks in charge, or the remnants thereof, have failed their constituents, their congregations, their communities.
And this brings us to our leaders, those we have entrusted, either by acclamation or resignation, to keep us well. Let’s start with safe and alive.
In Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night it’s written that some people are born great, some achieve greatness, and others have greatness thrust upon them. Stephen Schwartz asks in the opening lines of his musical: “Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?”
These folk that are so blessed, or cursed, tend to become, in minor roles or major positions, leaders. But they were first children, and we believe, as Paul preached to the Ephesians, children of God, holy and blameless. Where and why did the leaders who have betrayed their communities go astray? We may know, or never know, but sadly, their damage is done and, in many instances, irreversible.
However, there will be new leaders, and they are among us now. And the love, or respect, or support, or vote that we can give, or disperse, or share, or cast is what will create a lasting civilization and, with God’s help through the Holy Spirit, nourished for the work by the Eucharist, bring all things together in Christ.