Division and Confusion

INTRODUCTION

Fr. Anscar Chupunco says: “The Church has Sacrmaents because the Church is alive. The Church shares in the daily experiences of the people of God.” The Eucharist is a Celebration oozing with meaning. It is a celebration of marriage, of ordination, a Sacrament of initiation, atonement, healing, and funeral all together in one event. It is where God gathers his his people to bless them.

HOMILY | Joel 1:13-15, 2:1-2 | Luke 11:15–26

The word division in Greek is διαβάλλειν diabollein. Dia and bollein. Literally it means two ways. But it is more of the Verb part into two.To Divide. To tear apart. To tear asunder. "to slander"

The Work of the Devil in indeed geared towards division, destruction and separation. It is evident in today’s social and ecclesial issues. Divorce, War of all kinds, murder which separates life from the human person. In the Church, when there are divisions from the Unity, division in views and bothering to settle quarrels resulting in disobedience to the Papacy, and schisms.

In our community, when do not like each other. When we prefer to correct a conferee the harsh way. When we do not embody the goals and values of the community we live in. When we do not set aside differences and insist on our personal preferences. When I do not participate. When I do not lift a finger to help. When I do things that undermine the unity of the community. Then I am in no way opposed with division; and certainly becoming an instrument of him who does destruction.

Diversity is not division. Diversity is when, despite being different, we still choose to be united, to work things out and settle for differences. Division or did bollein is the rejection of unity, refusal of unity, and not bothering to love at all.

Is this not the definition of SIN in the Youth Catechism? Sin as the rejection of God, refusal to accept his love, and not bothering to love at all.

In our first reading, it laments the deprivation of grain and drink offering in the temple of God. The grain and drink here is a symbol of unity, an overture of the eucharistic assembly. But Prophet Joel proclaims an atonement of the assembly and not individual atonement of each individual. Prophet Joel will eventually be preaching about wars, the training of warriors, evoking the farmers to rise up and arm up. Beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruning hooks into spears in the judgement valley of Jehosaphat.

We are invited therefore to shun all forms of division. As a community, geared to following the footsteps of Jesus Christ, proclaiming the Good News of God as missionaries, we should be relentless and tireless advocates of peace, solidarity and love. We have to be witnesses to these values. We have to be men of peace. Men of solidarity, and men of love. It must begin here right now.