Monsignor Fernando Ocáriz stresses the importance of unity with those around us, a unity that, since it is the result of love, "is not uniformity, but communion."
Precisely since it is the result of love, this unity is not uniformity, but rather communion. It is a unity in diversity that is shown in the joy of living alongside those who are quite different from us, where we learn to grow through what the others have to offer and we foster an atmosphere of affection around us. Jesus made clear that this unity is a requirement for being effective in passing on the Gospel: “so that the world may believe” (Jn 7:21).
Is he referring to Christians? It would seem so, though the words themselves are open to being interpreted as referring to a population center in which religious pluralism is the norm, or even religious pluralism and ethnic diversity. So what sort of differences are we talking about, the ones that exist among Christians? Differences in personalities? Hobbies?
