Oneness

Once again, in today’s liturgical readings, we are reminded how God loves each one of us unconditionally in our individual uniqueness as persons. Not only that. God loves all of creation in such a way that through Jesus, our incarnate God, we learn to experience our oneness with God, oneness with ourselves, oneness with all other human beings, and oneness with the universe. All this is inspiringly described by the spiritual writer, Albert Nolan, in the last part of his book entitled Jesus Today.

Before we go to that in more detail, let us remind ourselves that to simply follow the Ten Commandments externally is far from sufficient. External obedience is not the same as internal transformation. The latter means that to love God and all that God loves unconditionally is the real way of being disciples of Christ. This is to be our response to God’s love. God the Son, the incarnate Jesus, became one among us to be our role model and guide in all this. How can we go wrong, since Jesus is both God and man. By becoming one among us, Jesus becomes our unconditional Lover and Guide from life to death to life again after death. The wisdom and the folly of the cross is nothing less than Jesus’ way of loving mankind and all of creation. As we had expressed in this column before, the cross is given to each one of us, at times light and at other times heavy; not as a sign of punishment, testing, or abandonment by God, but as an opportunity to love even more from our part, resulting in our growth, greatness, and godliness as persons, following the example of Jesus.

Our oneness with God is the greatest gift of love that He gives us, each one of us. As Nolan describes it: “God is not only closer to me than I am to myself. God is one with me and with you.” Jesus not only called God His abba, but He identified Himself with God. As disciples of Jesus, let us develop in our hearts a profound and constant awareness of our oneness with God. No less than the compassionate, loving God who serves, and not an imperial King who is served.

It is from the experience of our oneness with God that our oneness with ourselves follows. Jesus loved and was at peace with His uniqueness as a person, and so each one of us should follow Him. “Each one of us is unique and uniquely lovable.” Not self-centered and egotistic, but as Jesus taught us, loving myself with my unique strengths as well as weaknesses, my successes as well as my failures. And all this includes my readiness for my coming death, which, after all, is part of life.

Oneness with God and oneness with myself moves me further — to oneness with all other human beings. By His own example, Jesus led us to reach out in love with anyone and everyone. His love for the blind man, the leper, the tax collectors, and all other sinners was so inspiring. Our oneness with all other human beings is indeed a tremendous opportunity for our individual sanctification and oneness with God, for God’s unconditional love is for all of humanity – past, present, and future. Not only that. God’s love as incarnated in Jesus reached out even to the most unlovable. “Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.” (Mt.5:44)

Up to this very day, my heart is still heavy with grief for our 44 policemen who were killed in Mindanao last January 25. I keep praying, not only for the repose of their souls, but also for their surviving families who are presently in great suffering. On the other hand, I also pray for those who killed the 44 victims, for their inner conversion of heart. They, too, are our brothers under the one and the same God.

Moving to another human experience: Right now, a big infirmary building is being constructed right next to the building where I stay. Every time I look out of my window and watch the carpenters and laborers working hard with such dedication and patience, my heart goes out to them all, even if I do not know them personally. I feel love and compassion for them, and often pray for them and their families. They are no less than my brothers in the Lord.

More than all that, our oneness with all the people in the world, from different nations, cultures, religions, and political-economic systems really touches the depths of my heart, especially in my moments of prayer in silence and solitude. Millions and billions of my brothers and sisters under the one and the same Creator. My oneness with all of them is simply amazing.

Over and above all this is our oneness with all of creation, the whole universe. Jesus experienced this and handed it down to us. The mystics of history experienced this deeply, and so should we. From the rising to the setting of the sun, the birds of the air and the animals on the ground, the different trees and beautiful flowers, and everything else around us. Our oneness with all these goes all the way back to our oneness with God. How was I able to write all the above, coming from that small, human brain inside my head? You and I are no less than walking miracles of the ever-loving God. Amen.