A few years ago in the ecumenical movement there was a saying “doctrine divides but service unites.” The idea was that instead of debating points of belief the churches should concentrate on caring for those in need. Not a bad idea but the author of the second epistle of St. John might offer a caution to that statement. He warns the Church about “those who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh.” It is a doctrinal point that Jesus was truly a human being “like us in all things but sin.” We must insist on that point because it provides the why for the service we do. We recognize in every human being a familial relationship with Jesus, especially among “the least.”
