Unity amongst us whatever the price

Chiara Lubich explains how if we wish to be faithful to the charism of unity, we need to throw open the doors of our hearts to Jesus Forsaken.

We go ahead … to grow in unity on all fronts. Unity is the key word for all of us, the word that sums up the whole of our spirituality, the essential condition for maintaining the life that exists and increasing it. In fact, we cannot think of unity without thinking of suffering, of dying. Because unity is a gift, but it is also the fruit of our living as authentic Christians and there is no true expression of Christian life without the cross. We must always keep this in mind

… We must always remember that we have given our life to One person alone, to Jesus forsaken. Therefore, we must not and cannot exchange him for something else and we must never betray him. He teaches us the immense value of suffering precisely for the sake of unity. It was through his cross and his forsakenness that he re-united people to God and to one another. So he is there to tell us that unity has a price, even if, with him, by doing as he did, we can reach it.

And so, if we want to be faithful to the charism of unity which the Spirit has given us, let’s throw open once more the doors of our heart to Jesus forsaken and let’s give him the best place. … And so as to emphasise a practical aspect of this love, let’s love him in the difficulties that we come up against in achieving unity among us. …

This means we should always be ready to see one another new. It means being patient,  putting up with one another, knowing how to overlook things. It means trusting, always hoping, always believing. Above all it means not judging. To judge others in a purely human way, especially those who have responsibility for us, is dreadful. It is the chink through which the devil of disunity enters. If we judge, our spiritual life slowly diminishes, and even our vocation can waver.

So let’s improve this love for others, which always has many painful nuances. They are the tangible proof of our being ready to give our lives for one another. They are the obstacles – whether large or small – which we have to overcome through love for Jesus forsaken so that unity will always be complete.

Chiara Lubich

(From a conference call, Rocca di Papa 25th October 1990)