Christ in John's gospel prays that all those that follow, mainly his disciples in the first instance, for them to be unified "That they be one" (Jn. 16:21) but also to be consecrated as holy in God (Jn. 16:17). By implication of course we see this as being extended to ourselves as followers of Christ. In the lead up to the coming of the Spirit next week at Pentecost we pray for the unity of the Christian faith in the world in accordance with this, Christ's prayer. However, as usual we have our selves to blame for the disunity in the world, which in itself has created the need for such a week of prayer.
Looking from the bow end of history as it pierces into the unknown waters of that which is to come, we can look back along an ever widening wake that ripples outwards from where we are. We can see in those endless ripples and the wake that we have created points of disturbance and eddy, even right back at the beginning of our journey. In the story from Acts today we read of a need to select a new "Apostle" in lieu of Judas' betrayal (Acts 1:21-26). Any decision we make whether by lot or by our own choice disturbs the wake of history as there can immediately be a "what if?" question posed. Each what if disturbs our past and renders a slightly different future or ripple that proceeds forward with us to the bowsprit of our journey. In most cases such decisions create ripples of angst and discomfort when others who have chosen differently to us interact with us. In times past that angst has led to violence and sufficient disruption to create a new choice and a new eddy in the wake as we move forward.
We cannot always choose the same as everyone else because our vision, our understanding that draws us to God differs significantly. Yet, if we were but to draw back a little we can see that we are spectators of the same thing, almost like a physics experiment that is dependent on what we are about to measure. Perhaps, even better, it is as if we are all seated in a theatre watching God on the stage of being. One may watch from the centre, an other from the right and another from the left. Each like the blind man and the elephant see / feel something different and believe that they have the correct view of the whole. In voicing our opinion we are adamant that what we have seen is the only view and thus we become people at odds with each other, divided, raging and unable to form peace with each other. Is it then surprising that our disunity is as it is as we are unable to collapse the wave function into a singularity that is acceptable to all views. We fail in being unable to draw away from what we see to encompass the whole and thus derive some understanding of the unity that is in actuality present, were we but able to see.
Only when we begin to see that our own views are just that, views, we will begin to have some understanding of the holiness of God's multiplicity which eventually forms the unity that is. Even we in our singularity are multiple for no unity can be without it also being some concept of multiplicity. We associate singularity and unity with sameness and uniformity. This is not the case, we only have to look at a swarm of bees or a flock of birds to understand that the unity of a swarm or a flock is made up of a multiplicity of individuals. Unfortunately, we single-mindedly turn what is natural into the unnatural by association of the worst possible traits with one thing forgetting that it is made up of a number rather than being the same. We can see this by our sayings which often come to the fore in some situations "All...look the same"; "all...act the same" (you just need to put whatever it is in where the dots are). Once we put aside those things that prejudice our thoughts and our vision can we begin to gaze in wonder at the actual beauty of the multiplicity in the singularity that is God.
Let us put aside those things that make us different for the moment and concentrate on those things that make us the same. Put aside doctrines that divide and embrace the other for who they are and who they may become in the presence of God. It does not matter to God who you are it matters only in what you do as of all the commandments that we embrace only one truly matters and that is to love the other; not just God and not just our neighbour but the other who is both and all.
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