REMAIN IN MY LOVE...

Communion with Christ requires communion with others. There was a monk who explained this reality in the following way: Let us imagine a circle drawn on the earth, that is, a round line drawn with a compass around a center. The circle is the world, the center is God, and the spokes are the different ways of living that men have. As men, wishing to get closer to God, walk towards the center of the circle, they also get closer to each other. And as they draw closer to each other, they draw closer to God simultaneously. The same thing happens in the opposite direction, when we turn away from God and withdraw outwards. It is obvious that the more we separate ourselves from God, the further we grow apart from each other, and that the more we separate ourselves from each other, the further we move away from God.

Getting close to each other, relating to others, to people very different from ourselves, can be a challenge. Yet this is a very useful challenge. There is no love of neighbor without a cross.

Divisions between Christians, which separate us from each other, are a scandal because they also separate us from God.

Christ's prayer for unity is an invitation to return to Him and to draw closer to one another, rejoicing in the richness of our diversity.

So, the invitation is to remain united to Christ, that will also bring us closer to our brothers and sisters.