Bishop Emeritus Gilmore's Column

The week from 18 January to 25 January was devoted to Prayer for Christian Unity.  It is such an old practice now that it often becomes mindless, heartless, routine.  Perhaps a line from Shakespeare can tug us out of that rut.  Romeo said he jests at scars that never felt a wound (Act 2, Scene 2).  Think on that a while.
We have grown comfortable in overlooking the scars.  We miss the scandalous scar of the separation of the one Church, of the one Body he left us.  We miss the scandalous scar of the multiplicity of Christ’s.  We miss the scandalous scar of not wanting to know the truth of Jesus of Nazareth.  We look and look and look, and see none of these.  We are comfortable in our overlooking -- at home, at ease.
We have forgotten to feel the wounds.  We have forgotten to feel the wound to the Jesus who prayed that all might be one in him.  We have forgotten to feel the wound of the seamless garment ripped apart, a sleeve here, a cuff there, a cuff there, a sleeve there.  We have forgotten to feel the net with 153 fish that has been torn apart.  We look and look and look, and see none of these.  We are comfortable in our overlooking -- at home, at ease.
But the real Christian instinct is to bleed from the wounds and to regret the scars our sins have helped to cause.  Jesus wept over Jerusalem because she would not let him gather her under his wings.  Can we not weep over our fractured and scattered Church of Christ?  Can we not again feel the wounds?  Can we not again keen over the sinful scars?
Our ancestors have much to answer for historically.  We have much to answer for psychologically and spiritually.  Lord, help us feel our wounds, and stop our jesting.