I get a strange sort of consolation when I read the Bible and find in there evidence of the tensions and divisions that existed in the earliest days of the Church. It serves as a reminder that from the very beginning Christians have relied on the grace of God to help them overcome differences. There is a tradition that many people would come to St. John as the last surviving apostle and ask him how Jesus would respond to this, that or the other situation. St. John would respond to all those queries, “Let us love one another.” Love can overcome contemporary divisions too. If we treat each other with compassion, with a listening heart, with pastoral concern the grace of God will heal us.
