Author: Catherine Loh, Diocese of Palm Beach Director of Marriage, Family Life, Faith Formation, Youth and Young Adult Ministries.
As we continue our reflections on how our new Pope Leo XIV is influenced by St. Augustine, the patron of his Augustinian Religious Order, we can clearly discern Augustine’s thought in Pope Leo’s choice of papal motto: “In the One Christ, we are one.” This motto has been linked to St. Augustine’s reflection on Psalm 128 where he associates blessedness to a life lived in faithfulness to God, especially the blessings of a faithful family life. Living united in reverence and obedience to God is a source of happiness and blessing. Pope Leo’s call for unity centered in Christ is already a key theme of his papacy begun on May 8, 2025.
Pope Leo’s motto also echoes Christ’s prayer for unity offered in his farewell address to his apostles on the night before he died: “I do not pray for these [apostles] only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:20-21). This call to unity was taken up by St. Paul in his letter to the Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of us all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-5).
However, St. Paul (as well as Jesus) knew full well that we live in a fallen world, damaged by sin, so how did he propose that we attempt to live this unity? Well, he reminded us of the fruit of the Spirit- charity, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, generosity, gentleness, faithfulness, modesty, self-control, chastity – formed in us by virtue of our baptism into the Lord and perfected in us by the Holy Spirit. Paul encouraged us to call upon them to “maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). Again, in his letter to the Colossians, St. Paul reminded us that the fruit of the Spirit is the key to living in perfect harmony.
Unfortunately, as the recent escalations in the Middle East have proven, we have yet to achieve living in unity and peace. Regardless of our personal opinions on the events of Saturday, June 21, 2025, the actions should elicit a certain global sorrow but also a personal examination of conscience regarding how we have allowed the fruit of the Spirit to grow in us and inform our daily lives. Even among us followers of Christ, we have yet to achieve the unity called for by Jesus and St. Paul as attested to by the multiple confessions of faith separating the Body of Christ.
But we know that Christ’s promises are true. We are reminded in this Jubilee Year when we are called to be “Pilgrims of Hope,” that Jesus taught us that he has “other sheep, that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock, one shepherd” (John 10:16). Further, we are promised that “affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:4-5). So, let us allow the Holy Spirit to perfect the fruit of the Spirit given to us, thereby participating in the coming of the Kingdom when perfect unity will be achieved “when everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will [also] be subjected to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28).
What does Scripture say?
Psalm 133:1: Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
Ephesians 4:1-3: I, then, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another through love, striving to preserve the unity of the spirit through the bond of peace….
Colossians 3:12-14: Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, meekness, and patience, forbearing one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body.
Galatians 5:22-23: In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.