God created us to be unified. He is a Trinity of persons – three persons in one God. And just as He is unified, so we are made in His image and likeness to be unified.
We innately understand this both consciously and unconsciously. We naturally form communities that depend on each other in our society, and the most basic building block of society is a community – the family. We learn, play, work, and eat together. We share life together. Even when we are alone for a duration of time (either physically or emotionally) we crave human contact, because we are made to be unified.
Yet, we are also made to be individual persons. Again, this is because we are made in the image and likeness of God. The Father is a different person than the Son, and the Son is a different person than the Holy Spirit. While they are one God, they communicate themself with a unique individual persona. We do this as well. Even if we are a member of a family, school, or some other organization, we express ourselves differently than the other members of that community. And with those differences comes different responsibilities within the community for each member. The Father operates differently than the mother, who operates differently than the children. Even the oldest child operates differently than the youngest. So to be human is to be an individual unified with the rest of humanity.
How is this accomplished? We only have to look at the news to see that the world has generally forgotten about unity. We have mantras, slogans, and movements designed to bring us together, but nearly all fall short. This is because they often do not have the source of our unity, God. If we are made in His image and likeness to be like Him as unified individuals, then we must have His Holy Spirit. Without it, unity is a fruitless venture. Coming to know, love, and serve God teaches us how to live like Him, and receiving His Holy Spirit helps us to be one in him.
Where does the Holy Spirit reside today? Well the Spirit goes where It wills, but the place that we know that It constantly resides is in the Church, the Body of Christ here on Earth. When we enter the Church, we receive the Holy Spirit, and become one in God. And just as each member of a family has individual responsibilities, so too do the members of the Body of Christ have different gifts and responsibilities. Whenever these gifts are used in union with each other to glorify God, we achieve true unity and the purpose for which we were created.
But not everyone wants to enter the Church. For whatever reason (understandable or ill), they have decided that the Church is not what it claims to be. So how do we become unified with these individuals? Love. God’s greatest attribute, or rather who He is, is how we can become unified with those who do not want to join the Church. But they have to be shown true love, because without the Holy Spirit, we cannot know what true love is. This means that the burden is on the Church to receive the Holy Spirit and love as Jesus loved. This is not easy. It requires taking up our cross and following Christ to our death each day. But this example of love is countercultural and attractive. Its uniqueness spreads to those outside the Church and invites them in.
So as we work toward perfect unity and individual dignity, we must go to the source who gave us the gift of being like Himself, God. In Him, we not only are fulfilled, but find our true self. And as our God reveals to us that He is love itself, we can trust that in Him we will be satisfied both now and forever.
