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Unity
Ralph & Dotty Cornette
Fr. Bob MacDonald, S.M.
1644 The love of the spouses requires, of its very
nature, the unity and indissolubility of the spouses’ community
of persons, which embraces their entire life: “so they are
no longer two, but one flesh.” They “are called to grow
continually in their communion through day-to-day fidelity to their
marriage promise of total mutual self-giving.” This human
communion is confirmed, purified, and completed by communion in
Jesus Christ, given through the sacrament of Matrimony. It is deepened
by lives of the common faith and by the Eucharist received together.
From the Catechism of the Catholic Church
As we read the above, we are reminded of what we learned on our
Weekend – how God calls us to unity, through living intimately
and responsibly. When we make the decision to love and put aside
our own interests to focus on our spouse, we become more intimate
and experience unity. The unity of our Sacrament is more than the
two of us. It overflows and graces our family and those who journey
with us in our Church.
Last month, the two of us made our annual “pilgrimage”
to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception
in Washington, DC. We spent a few quiet hours there. We began by
praying and lighting candles for family members at the altars to
Our Lady of Siluva (Lithuania) and Our Lady of Perpetual Help. We
then joined those gathered there for the Rosary, Angelus and Mass
in the beautiful Blessed Sacrament Chapel. Sharing our faith in
that setting, we experienced a unity, not only between us but with
our fellow Catholics. We were touched by the way a lady named Wilma
reverently led the Rosary, and spoke to her about it later. She
seemed pleased and we agreed to pray for each other.
The following week, our adult son joined us for a trip to the coast,
in search of new (to us) lighthouses, one of our favorite “couple”
activities. The day was beautiful, especially the clouds and the
ocean. The Lord blessed us with two other unexpected sights –
a soaring eagle over Camden Hills and a complete rainbow over Castine
Harbor. In our dialogue that evening, we realized we had both experienced
a unity with each other and with our son, who really seemed to enjoy
being there with us, that day.
Dialogue question: What choices have I made I in the last two weeks
to focus on you? What are my feelings about my answer?
Dialogue question: What do I need to do to allow us to experience
unity in our relationship? What are my feelings about my answer?
Ralph & Dotty Cornette
“May all of us who share in the body and blood of Christ
be brought together in unity by the Holy Spirit.”
When I read these words in the Mass just before Communion, my heart
leaps with joy. God has put into our hearts His own desire for unity.
In the first book of the Bible we learn that God created us to His
image, “male and female He created them,” “…and
they become one body.”
Though three Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, God is one. The
desire for unity is, deeply rooted in our hearts. We enter into
social and business contracts so that we may work as one. We are
aware that “United we stand, and divided we fall.”
On our Weekend we learned to see more clearly how our marriage is
a covenant that brings us together more surely than a contract.
Covenant is more than contract. Covenant is a commitment to love
without conditions. It is a life-long pursuit of unity, the adventure
of becoming one. Our Sacrament of Marriage gives us the courage
to love and be loved even when we have failed to keep our commitment.
In the Sacraments of Reconciliation and Communion our unity is restored.
.
Our unity becomes a grace for our children. Our unity is God’s
way of giving new life to the Church and renewing the whole world.
UN stands for the United Nations. “Un” is the number
“one” in many languages. Un is part of many words that
express our hopes and dreams: Unity, Union, Universe. Communion
of Saints is part of our belief.
I like to be near couples who are one. They shine with a wonderful
light. They renew my own dreams of a world in which we are one family,
the one Body of Christ.
Fr. Bob McDonald, S.M
Ralph & Dotty Cornette and Fr. Bob McDonald, S.M. are the Ecclesial
Team from Maine.
Click here
for a printable document (PDF, 92KB)
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