The Sacrament of Unity
Lord, who at thy first Eucharist did pray that all thy Church might be forever one,
Grant us at ev’ry Eucharist to say with longing heart and soul, “Thy will be done.”
O may we all one bread, one body be, through this blest Sacrament of Unity.
The words of this hymn echo in constant supplication, begging our blessed Lord to restore unity to the Bride of Christ, the Church. Hidden beneath the words is the reprimand to us, the members of that Church, that there are splits in that unity. Many have lapsed from their membership in the Roman Catholic Church founded by Christ, through heresy like Luther and Bergoglio to name but two, through schism like the Orthodox churches of the east, or through individual apostasy by those lost souls who have preferred their own will over God’s.
How do we know who are truly members of the Catholic Church? Externally at least, we should be able to distinguish her members by their presence at the Communion rail. For in order to receive Holy Communion one must be a baptized and practicing member of the Catholic Church. The unbaptized are not permitted to receive, nor those who practice another false religion. And indeed, banned from Communion are those public sinners who have openly renounced their faith by practicing a lifestyle contrary to the law of God. These days, unfortunately, wicked men like Joseph Biden are now permitted by the new Church to present themselves for Communion in spite of their scandalous lives. They break God’s law by doing so and will be judged accordingly, along with those who grant them access.
When we approach the Communion rail, with our humble prayer of access, acknowledging our unworthiness to receive Christ our Saviour, we should be conscious of this unity we have with all those who legitimately kneel alongside us and in all the other truly Catholic churches that remain. While we may have insignificant differences, personality conflicts, or even a few theological disagreements on matters undecided by the Church, we are nevertheless “one”. And we should strive that this unity should be visible to all, professing the same Creed, acknowledging the same moral laws, and above all, loving the same God and our neighbor as ourselves.
Our Holy Communion with God is the aim and fulfillment of our unity with our neighbor. Even those neighbors who are indeed heretics, schismatics and apostates can be loved in spite of their wickedness, even as we profoundly hate, yes hate, their evil deeds. We pray for their conversion, for their return to the true fold of Christ, and for the salvation of all mankind. Without this prayer, our so-called “Communion” with God becomes a sham, a pantomime of fake devotion in which we try to limit God’s love to only ourselves and the chosen few who practice the faith. We must remember that God loves the rest of them too, and so should we, even as we sadly watch them gleefully marching towards the gates of hell.
For all thy Church, O Lord, we intercede; make thou our sad divisions soon to cease;
Draw us the nearer each to each, we plead, by drawing all to thee, O Prince of Peace;
Thus may we all one bread, one body be, through this blest Sacrament of Unity.