3rd Sunday Ordinary Time – Year A

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: January 25, 2026

The Catholic Church has been here for about 2000 years. It has changed and taken many forms through those years. But, some things have been constant from the beginning. What do you think are some of those things that have remained constant these 2000 years? Perhaps none of you were thinking of what I would say has remained constant in the past 2000 years of the church. Disagreements and division.

I want to do a little walk through history. History is so important in understanding what is happening today, it is important in putting issues into context. Yet we so often forget or ignore history. This is the case in politics today, but also can be the case in looking at the church today.

So, what does the history of the church show us?

The divisions and infighting within Christianity began right from the beginning. We see it right away with the first apostles, but we really see the reality of division within the church when we read the Letters of Paul. He is constantly speaking about the need for unity and trying to overcome disagreements.

In our second reading today, we hear Paul encouraging the Corinthians to “be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you.” He speaks of the reports from some that there were quarrels among them. There were cliques among them, some saying, “I belong to Paul,” others saying, “I belong to Apollos,” and so on. Paul asks, “Has Christ been divided?”

This tendency to disagreements and divisions continues throughout church history. In the 3rd and 4th Century we see struggles over the identity of Christ. Some saw him as truly divine, but not fully human. Others that he was a great human being, but not divine. This movement was called Arianism.

There were great battles over this. The first church Council took place in 325 AD, the Council of Nicaea. In fact, Pope Leo along with other churches recalled this Council recently in the 1700 th Anniversary of that Council where the church resolved what orthodox teaching about Christ taught. We still today embrace that teaching that Jesus is truly God and truly human.

Historical and political circumstances also impact the unity of the church. The Roman Empire gradually formed into two areas, the Eastern Roman Empire and the Western Roman Empire. The church on each side developed in different ways. Gradually this led to division.

In 1054 there was an official split, each side excommunicating the other. Those churches on the East we call the Orthodox Churches, separated from the Pope and the Catholic Church. Though there were efforts to renew the unity of the church it did not take place. In those efforts we see many Eastern Rite Catholic Churches formed, Ukrainian Catholic, Coptic Catholic, Chaldean Catholic and others. They had many features of the Orthodox Churches, but returned to communion with Rome.

Later on there were struggles within the Western Church. In fact, in the time of our patron saint, St. Catherine of Siena, in the 14 th Century there was the Great Western Schism with up to 3 different Popes being declared at the same time. The papacy became exiled for about 70 years to Avignon, France. St. Catherine was one of the figures who worked hard to have the Pope return to Rome.

Later came the division within the West. It began with Martin Luther who was calling for reform of the church. This eventually led to what we call the Protestant Revolution. Gradually there were many divisions with the Protestant churches themselves leading to many different denominations. The division between East and West, Catholic and Protestant continued into the 20 th Century as separate Christian groups that did not speak to each other, did not pray together.

This was just a brief summary of the reality of divisions within the history of the church. In the 20 th Century there began an ecumenical movement trying to bring greater unity within Christianity. Protestant missionaries realized that their divisions made evangelization difficult.

Imagine in some small town in a foreign land where there were several different Christian churches fighting and competing among themselves. The Catholic Church officially embraced this ecumenical effort at Vatican Council II. One purpose of this Council was to help the Catholic Church to be an instrument of unity within Christianity.

Today, our Catholic Church is committed to Christian unity. Where in the past we would not work with or pray with other Christians, today we see these others as brothers and sisters in Christ. We are to work together to build up the unity of the Church as willed by Christ. Every Pope since the Council in the 1960’s has shared this vision of striving for unity.

But, like the past 2000 years, we still find disagreements and divisions within Christianity and within our own Catholic Church. The Church is a divine and human reality. Founded by Christ and guided by the Spirit, the Church is a divine mystery. But, it exists within history and consists of human beings.Therefore in its human reality it often falls short of the image of Christ that we are called to be. Human sin exists in the church and that includes bad decisions, selfishness, disagreements and divisions.

Today what are we called to do as Catholics? Work to overcome divisions within our own local communities. Do not focus on our disagreements. See other Christians as people we can pray with and even learn from. Within our Catholic Church, be people of communion. At each Mass we commit ourselves once again to communion with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. We commit to communion with our Bishop. When we receive communion, the church calls us to receive communion in a common way that expresses our unity.

Jesus, in our gospel today, begins his ministry with the call, “Repent.” In what areas do you and I need to repent? A constant for 2000 years of Christianity has been disagreements and divisions. You and I need to work to be instruments of unity, to work for communion within the church.

The church formed by Jesus is called to be an instrument of unity in our world. The church is to work for communion between God and humanity, and to work for the communion of one human family. We will only be effective in doing this if we first of all work to overcome our divisions. A constant in the reality of the church for the past 2000 years has been divisions. But, the other constant is the call of Jesus for us to repent and to be in communion as one church.

I see that reality each Sunday as I look out at all of you. People from almost every continent on the planet. Yet, here we are all equals and all sharing in one common faith.