He prays for a perfect unity when he says, that
they may all be one. First, he mentions the unity he is asking for; secondly,
he gives an example of it, and its cause, as you, Father, are in me; thirdly,
he gives the fruit of unity, that the world may believe.
He says: I am praying that they may all be one. As
the Platonists say, a thing acquires its unity from that from which it acquires
its goodness. For that is good for a thing which preserves it; and a thing is
preserved only if it remains one. Thus, when our Lord prays that his disciples
be perfect in goodness, he prays that they be one. Indeed, this was
accomplished: "Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and
soul" (Acts 4:32); "Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers
dwell in unity" (Ps 133:1).
He gives an example of this unity and its cause,
saying, even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you. Others are one, but in
evil. Our Lord is not asking for this kind of unity, but that which unites in
good, that is, in God. And so he says, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you,
that is, let them be united by believing in me and in you: "We, though
many, are one body in Christ" (Rom 12:5); "Eager to keep the unity of
the Spirit ... one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph 4:3). We are one or
united in the Father and the Son, who are one; for if we were seeking different
things to believe and desire, our affections would be scattered.
. . .
He indicates the fruit of this unity when he says,
so that the world may believe: for nothing shows the truth of the gospel better
than the charity of those who believe: "By this all men will know that you
are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (13:35). This will be
the fruit of unity: because if my disciples are one, the world may believe that
the teaching I gave to them is from you, and know that you have sent me. For
God is a cause of peace, not of contentions.
No comments:
Post a Comment