Sixteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Walls and barriers are not of God – they are human made. Christ has come for unity in the truth, for reconciliation among enemies, for charity in disagreements, for healing of divisions. As today’s gospel puts it, Jesus came to be the Shepherd of all the sheep of his flock and to include everybody in his saving love… he came not to scatter people but to gather them and bring them all into his Father’s Kingdom. Christians, of course, are called to follow his lead.  That means we are called to stand firmly on the rock of our faith, to speak the truth in love, and to be patient and respectful with those that may oppose us, always seeking common ground wherever possible and allowable according to what Christ has revealed.

My friends, the Eucharist is the Sacrament of unity, the sign and instrument of our Holy Communion with Christ and one another. With the gift of the Eucharist the Lord gives us, may Christ grant us the wisdom, the courage, and the charity to be servants of the Unity he has won for us!