Old Testament
Psalm 133:1-3
1 See how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to live together in unity!
2 It is like the precious oil on the head, that ran down on the beard, even Aaron’s beard, that came down on the edge of his robes,
3 like the dew of Hermon, that comes down on the hills of Zion; for there the LORD gives the blessing, even life forever more.
New Testament
Ephesians 4:1-6
1 I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk worthily of the calling with which you were called,
2 with all lowliness and humility, with patience, bearing with one another in love,
3 being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
4 There is one body and one Spirit, even as you also were called in one hope of your calling,
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in us all.
Psalm 133 is brief, but it sings. Unity is “good and pleasant”, it says, like oil running down a beard, like dew on a mountain. The images are earthy and generous: unity is not a thin truce. It is a shared gladness, a life that refreshes.
In a plural public life, the Church’s unity matters because it shapes our witness. If we cannot bear with one another, we will not bear with our neighbours. If we talk as rivals, we will speak into the public square as tribes rather than as a family under Christ.
Paul, writing from prison, tells the Church to walk worthy of their calling: with humility, gentleness, patience, bearing with one another in love. Unity is not achieved by pretending differences do not exist. It is protected by virtues. And it is anchored in a confession: one body, one Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all.
Lord, give us the gift of unity without flattening. Teach us humility in disagreement, gentleness in correction, and patience in disappointment. Let the Church be a place where love is stronger than winning, and where your peace can be felt as something real.