By Eddie MacDonald
Today’s Gospel, speaking of houses and loved ones divided, is deeply unsettling. I’ve experienced division in faith—being the only practicing Catholic in my family—but I cannot imagine such division with my children. It’s hard enough being teased by my siblings for my beliefs. What is the Lord telling us? If division is part of the journey, what is the path to unity?
This week at the Anishinabe Spiritual Centre, I witnessed something that speaks to today’s Gospel. We welcomed a beautiful group—50 refugees from across the globe—brought by Romero House, which has sent its clients to ASC for a week of “camp” for 28 years.
They came from Afghanistan, Iran, Uganda, Peru, and more—different faiths, cultures, and languages. Fleeing their homelands in hope of safety, they began the week guarded, sitting only with those who spoke their language. In our first sharing circle, conversation slowed for Spanish and Farsi interpretation. Trust was scarce.
But the week brought small acts of community—washing dishes, cleaning bathrooms, taking out garbage, cooking and sharing meals from their cultures. Slowly, they began to talk, laugh, and connect.
One activity stood out. A long table was covered with white paper, and participants were asked to draw what weighed on their hearts. Then they walked around, viewing each other’s drawings. One showed eight stick figures with the words: “My family and friends all died.” Another depicted flags of the countries passed through before reaching Canada. In those images, they saw humanity in one another: shared love, shared loss, shared need.
By the end of the week, strangers had become friends. Final reflections were filled with hope: “I now know I am not alone.” “We are together with this migrant heart; we feel stronger with all the love that has been shared.”
I believe that is the remedy the Gospel points toward: to love despite differences, to risk connection even when division feels easier, to seek the image of God in every face. Unity is not built by ignoring differences but by entering into them with open hearts.
In the love they shared, I saw what the Lord calls us to—communion stronger than fear, compassion deeper than division.
