Recommended Video: “The Unity of the Church”

What do you think of when you hear the word “unity”? Do you think about it lacking in politics? Or in families? Or relationships? Or in social topics? Or how about among the Christian faith? Is unity just an empty word or fodder for memes on social media?

Whichever way we approach the word, the bottom line is whether we human beings genuinely want unity, and do we fully understand what it means. I believe *all* unity starts with the triune God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. From that unity comes the unity of the Christian Church — that is, the Catholic Church.

This topic is more relevant than ever before: We are all already well aware of the ultra-noisy divisiveness these days among social ideologues. And, sadly, this includes the thousands of Christians sects that have sprung up within the past 500 years, as well as some awkward spats within the Catholic Church.   However, while it’s easy to focus on all the negative, we have a lot of positive to consider too: Catholic apologists, catechists, clergy, and everyday laity, from all parts of the world, have been making their voice more known out in the public space.

And though I have encountered Catholics who have some degree of axe to grind with the Church – there are scores of Catholics who are proud to call themselves so and share in the fullness of our faith. That may sound a bit biased on my part, but I encourage you to research for yourself: Yes, the world right now is in a championship wrestling match over morals and values – yet an abundance of Catholic Christians continue to share the Gospel, serve the needy (The Catholic Church is still one of the most charitable organizations in the world!), lead people to Christ, separate fact from fiction about our beliefs,  increasingly participate in apologetics online and in other public arenas, and grow in their individual spiritual journeys.

So, in many senses, we Catholics are doing much to grow and keep unity throughout the world. Sure, we could be doing more – and we must do more. Yet we first must have *unity* about Christian beliefs.

Enter Brant Pitre, one of my favorite Catholic theologians and the speaker in my recommended video for this blog. In this recommended video, Pitre — who gives Bible study lectures on the channel, Catholic Productions (linked below) — shows step-by-step, using Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, why Church unity is so important to our relationship with God, and how Catholic theology is central to building and maintaining unity among Christians.

What’s more, as Pitre describes in the video, unity has several components — which all stem from our belief in the triune God:

*The invisible AND visible unity of the Church: That we worship God as unified body of Christians, under one Church, as Sacred Scripture and Tradition tell us.

*Eschatological unity: That we believe in the resurrection of the dead “and the life of the world to come.” In other words, we believe in one, eternal unity – we share in one hope together.

*Christological unity: We accept one Jesus as Lord and Savior and part of the Trinity. He is not a watered-down Jesus, or just another wise teacher, or just another mythological construct based on the “hero’s journey” narratives. Rather, He is our ONE Lord, “begotten not made” and “consubstantial with the Father” (as we recite in our Creed).  

*Doctrinal unity: That we all align under the rule of faith. The Creed we recite sums up our entire core beliefs. And as Pitre points out, it is not just your faith or my faith. It is OUR faith.

*Sacramental unity: We believe in ONE baptism. We believe the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. We believe in the sanctity of marriage under God.

*Theological unity: We believe in one God – one Father of *us*.

Which then leads to the unity of the Trinity: We believe in the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit: Three distinct persons, yet all of the same substance – all of the same God.

Looking at all these aspects of unity together, they essentially mirror what we say in our Creed anyway, right?

Then why is that all Christians do not line up with the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church? While theologians can be quick to jump to dogmatic and doctrinal differences, isn’t much of our disagreement largely based on misunderstandings?  

For instance, how many times have we heard Protestant Christians claim that we Catholics worship Mary – though we clearly do not worship Mary? Or what about the blatant misunderstanding about how Catholics view faith versus works, as explained my in recent recommended video about this subject?  Worse, these same criticisms keep getting perpetuated, year after year, generation after generation. Yet they simply aren’t true at the end of the day.

This begs the question: Do people in fact want unity? Or do they just want to be right? Isn’t being right and entitled at the root of divisiveness?

And though it may appear that Catholic Church boastfully claims it is the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church – and sure some Catholics are just as guilty as other Christians of being self-righteous – the entire *body* of the Church – both invisible and visible – is about uniting under our triune God, accepting and living by His grace, through our Savior, Jesus Christ; and building His kingdom on Earth and in Heaven; and living to the fullest by the two greatest commandments that Christ gave us: 1.) You should love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. And 2.) You shall love your neighbor as you love yourself.

Are you ready to love exactly how Christ has taught us? Are you ready for the unity that God has bestowed upon us – all within ONE church? If we all come together on this unity – and as Pitre lays out the case, and if we follow by it the letter – wouldn’t this fix all other disunity in the world?

Brant Pitre – “The Unity of the Church”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpGzfBNtKHw&t

Catholic Productions: https://www.youtube.com/c/CatholicProductions