The word is UNITY, not uniformity.  The latter word indicates sameness, in the way we think, act, dress or even try to look alike.  It implies that everything and everyone is identical, with supposedly no possibility for differences.  Unity, on the other hand, is marked with diversity of individuals who exhibit oneness in purpose, like pursuing a specific goal.  When there is unity, people tend to tolerate and accept the differences among themselves.

As children of God, we have received a variety of unique gifts from Him to fulfill our missions in life.  We come from a multitude of backgrounds, cultures, and customs, but we are bound together in the Mystical Body of Christ at our Baptism, which begins our journey toward full unity with Christ.  [If you haven’t been baptized yet, strongly consider it!]

Certainly, we are not on this journey alone.  Christ bestowed unity on His Church from the beginning, but the responsibility falls on the Church to maintain, reinforce and perfect the unity that Christ wills for His Church.  This is why Jesus prayed at the hour of His Passion, and He continues to pray for the unity of His disciples, as He stated in John 17:21: “I pray not only for them [his disciples], but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me.”  Jesus is praying for each of us to become one with Him.

As Jesus prayed in the garden to the Father, He was showing us His love for all humanity, ready to share His burning love to hearts that wish to live with Him, in Him, and for Him.   Only humble hearts receive all the graces being offered from His Sacred Heart, which will melt hearts with love and joy.  We need to pray for humility to receive this gift of unity with Christ.

This unity with Christ is one of a personal relationship with Him.  It is a love relationship between His heart and ours, a love without boundaries between the Creator and His creatures.  We are called to show that love to all our brothers and sisters, and it is Christ’s love implanted in us that will break down any barriers that hinder that love and unity.   Christian unity transcends all differences that divide us.

Today, more than ever, we need unity in this world because everywhere we look we see division, rooted in a lack of love and forgiveness.  We must look into our own hearts to check our level of love and forgiveness.  If it is high, then we are on the right road; if it is low, then we missed a turn somewhere on our journey and strayed off course.

How did we miss the turn?  Maybe we were following the crowd and the allurements of the world, materialism and temporary pleasures, which seemed right at the time.  However, looking back at that road we have travelled, we see everything that prevented us from having a relationship with Jesus. 

So what is the lesson for us to learn here: Moving forward in our life, avoid any false teachings and the crowd that lead us away from Jesus.  Instead, follow Jesus and the love, joy and unity He offers, even if it means walking alone.  But we aren’t ever alone because Jesus will walk with us if we ask Him.  He is counting on us to lead our brothers and sisters into this special unity with Him, either verbally or by the example of our own lives.  Remember that all which is good comes from God and is eternal, while all that is of the world remains in the world and dies.  With this knowledge, we can clearly see our best choice: TO CHOOSE GOD!

Bottom line:  At the end of our journey in this life, we want to find ourselves, together with all our brothers and sisters, united with Christ and sharing in the eternal joy that awaits His followers.