"Do nothing out of selfishness. of out of vainglory." Phil 2:3
St Paul is forever encouraging the churches that he helped found to be generous, loving and unified in God's Spirit. What a great challenge for us these days in the Catholic church during these days of scandal and shame over sexual abuse. Pope Francis asked Cathlolics around the world to pray the rosary everyday to combat the devil, the evil spirit who, the Holy Father reminds, wants only to divide us a people.
St Paul knew the same threat in his day. Committed to helping new churches outside of Jerusalem not to be bound by every narrow rabbinic interpretation of the Law, Paul wanted them to be free to develop their own spirituality that would reflect the best of their own culture and experience of Jesus. More important, he wanted to avoid the sins of the past and work diligently towards unity by regarding "others as more important than" ourselves.
Today, pray that the church in the United States will avoid the political and theological divisions that cause people not even to speak with one another.
Who or what helps you to work for unity in our families, church and nation?
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