Two types of unification...

“You can either rally around love to unite, or you can rally around fear, gossip, paranoia, and negativity; usually symbolized by one issue or person.”

Fr. Richard Rohr, “Wondrous Encounters, Scripture for Lent"

The people of Jesus' time are found doing the second type of unification as we begin Holy Week, as they unite against Jesus. They fear him and reject his calls to take care of the poor, love the unloved, welcome the stranger (Matthew 25:31-40). They will unite to kill him by the end of the week. What can we learn from this in our own time? Can we unite in love and compassion for each other or are we pulled into the negative unification of fear, paranoia, negativity and hate? Is anyone out there uniting people in Jesus’ love? I see Pope Francis, certainly, uniting people in love, especially in the vein of Jesus’ preferential option for the poor.  I also, unfortunately, see the opposite type of unification—that of fear, anger, and division, and it truly sickens me.  There is such power in unification, but which type of unification do we want to be part of? Unification of love or hate? Let’s think and pray about it this Holy Week.  Love, heidi