Is there unity and diversity in the Church? There is unity in the faith, but also a great variety of apostolates in building up the Church.
Christ teaches us the lesson of universality. We see how his immense heart is open to all mankind. As St Mark recounts, the Apostle John approached Jesus and said to him, "Teacher, we saw a man casting out demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us." But Jesus said, "Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us."
God's word must reach all souls. The Church's mission is a universal one; it is aimed at people of all nations and races. Naturally, this mission is carried out in many different ways, inspired by the Spirit of Christ. The Second Vatican Council teaches that “the apostolate, through which the laity build up the Church, sanctify the world and bring it to live in Christ, can take on many different forms."
These various apostolic initiatives help to manifest the diversity and beauty of the Catholic Church. “If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the organs in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single organ, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body." The overall health of the body comes from the unity of all the healthy parts, each in its place: “Thus, each limb receiving the active power it needs ... achieves its natural growth, building itself up through charity."
We are very happy to see other Christians working apostolically in the service of the Church. As St. Josemaría wrote: “You show bad spirit if it hurts you to see others work for Christ without regard for what you are doing. Rejoice when you see others working in good apostolic activities. And ask God to grant them abundant grace and correspondence to that grace. Then, you, on your way: convince yourself that it's the only way for you."
Then, we must combine the universal with the local needs.
Through love faith and hope, we are united to all the members of the Church. We rejoice when they experience success in their service of Christ, while at the same time, we strive with all our strength to achieve unity in the apostolate. Thanks to the inexpressible reality of the communion of saints, we are all joined together - fellow workers, St John says - in the endeavor to spread God's truth and peace."
No sorrow, no joy, of our brothers and sisters in the faith, can be foreign to our Christian heart.
Video: