The campus chapel was full, but it was quiet in the way only a divided room could be. Students sat shoulder to shoulder; heads bowed in prayer together, while invisible lines ran between the pews. Lines drawn; not by faith but by headlines, political parties, and opinions we use to put walls up and create division. We shared the same Sacraments, we heard the same Scripture, we loved the same Lord, yet we still started to see each other as opponents rather than brothers and sisters.
Somewhere, somehow, politics became louder than the Gospel. Labels replaced names. Frustration replaced fruitful conversation. We somehow forgot that before we were voters, we were children of God; baptized into one body, called to one table, and ordered to a universal radical love. The kind of radical love that asks, “How can I love you better?” rather than asking, “What side are you on?”
We tend to exist in that tension. In the space between compassion and conviction, tenderness and truth. We are called as Christians to remember who we are, but also whose we are. We are called to look past the noise of our political environment to reclaim the quiet call of Christ. The call to love our brothers and sisters as freely and faithfully as He loves us.
So how do we do this? SAU chaplain Fr. Dale Mallory helps us answer this question.
“Try to have the understanding that at the end of the day, this person is still a person,” he says. They are still part of the body of Christ, still part of the community. I think one of the most awful things that has happened in our current political climate is when you have people cutting off their family members, or cutting off their friends, because of a disagreement…one of the biggest things we need as humans is connection with other people, and there are so many people that are lacking that.
“I just think relationships are worth so much more than something like politics.” He finishes.
Fr. Dale’s words invite us to pause and reflect on what truly connects us. If relationships are so precious, then we must ask ourselves how we will live out that truth, especially when conversations become uncomfortable or beliefs don’t align.
Another voice within our SAU community echoes this call to love and compassion and offers us a reminder that unity can be included in our everyday activities.
“In Christian community, we are blessed to be able to pray, journey through life, learn, grow, and take action for the common good with one another,” says St. Ambrose Peace and Justice Director Nicki Gant. “Whether by attending Mass, a bible study, a peace and justice group meeting, or a service project, or just supporting each other in our daily struggles and loving each other unconditionally. We have the unique opportunity to live out our faith with one another and support each other on our journey to union with God.”
Support. Together. Union. These words are mentioned frequently in the wisdom from both Fr. Dale and Nicki. In theory, this idea is a wonderful image, and an easy target for us to aim for. However, political differences do exist. We do live in a political atmosphere that is highly polarized, and we do live in a hateful, divided world. What is our common ground? Nicki Gant offers more insight:
“When Jesus died on the cross, he showed us that He is on all of our sides, regardless of the extent of our sins or political beliefs…we are called to pick Christ’s side, who loves all of us equally.”
“Who loves all of us equally,” Nicki says. Jesus is our common ground. His love for us is the uniting factor. As Fr Dale explained, we are called to see each other first and foremost as children of God. If we can acknowledge that Truth and bring Christ to the front of our minds before engaging in conversation, we become more aware of His response. We are able to act from a place of Divine love rather than human pride.
In a world that pushes us to choose sides, we are invited by Christ to choose love. Not a passive, flat love but a courageous, radical love. A selfless love that listens before it labels, and that seeks understanding before it seeks to win.
We are encouraged to remember who we are, and whose we are. We are children of God, and this unity becomes more than just a belief; it becomes a daily habit. Being united in Christ means saving a seat at your table for anyone and everyone, and it means staying at the table when it is easier to walk away. Unity and Christian love turn the attention from the sides we are on to the way that we love. By choosing Christian unity, we discover the love this world needs.
