Unity from above

In one of the selections available for the second reading (Ephesians 4:1-13) on the Solemnity of the Ascension (celebrated in many places today), St. Paul points to the Ascension as he exhorts the Ephesians to be united rather than divided.

"(....he who also ascended far above all the heavens,
that he might fill all things.)

"And his gifts were that some should be apostles,
some prophets, some evangelists,
some pastors and teachers,
to equip the saints for the work of ministry,
for building up the body of Christ,
until we all attain
to the unity
of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
to mature manhood,
to the measure
of the stature of the fullness of Christ...."

It is easy to get caught up in the natural rivalries and jealousies that affect all human beings, to tear at each other and alienate each other, even those ostensibly bound together in love as members of the body of Christ.

It is important for us to keep our eyes on Christ (far above the pettiness that can entrap us), to be grateful for the often very different gifts he has given to each of us, and for each of us to use well the gifts we have received for the building up of the body of Christ - for the love of God and one another.