NOTES for Joh 17:18-26

Right now, in most of the civilized world, people talk constantly about unity. They call this unity by different names: someone says simply and plainly that "together we are strong," someone fights for or against globalization, someone prays for the unity of the Church, and someone reflects on the deep human longing for life with others and for "communion." Some only reflect on it, while others even try to build something - creating organizations, unions, and councils. In short, the topic matters.

But if you tried to gather all the people involved in this work and ask them to agree on what this desired community should be, a real commotion would begin. And all because, despite the common desire, each person still pulls in his own direction. Each person sees unity in his own way and assigns places according to his own ideas. And it may be that people will never be able to agree on the form.

Because true unity is what Jesus asks the Father to give us. It is a unity that is impossible to reach by human means: the unity of the Trinity. We are not even able to let others come as close to us as the Persons of the Trinity are close and one, let alone remain constantly in such "communion," where we are both different and one. Yet this is exactly what God expects from us. And He is the One who can make it real. We simply have to truly want it.