Division is something that seems to grow more each day. Nations, families, and relationships seem to be falling apart.

In my own life, I have struggled to find something to hold on to. In weathering the storm, I often find myself grasping for anything to keep me afloat—good, bad, or indifferent.

We aren’t asked to take on division alone, though. St. John Paul II helps guide us to see what Christ asks of us: to take a step back and look at our relationships. Through the Church, God invites us into communion with Himself and also communion with each other.

There’s that buzzword: Communion.

Communion is not a lofty idea that is out of reach. Instead, it forms a part of life in the Church. Communion finds its source in the Holy Trinity. In its simplest terms, communion is a ‘oneness’ with each other and God.

We can look at our family and friends. Do we gossip about others? When it comes to the Church, we are confronted a wide variety of opinions and points of view. Do we treat those people with respect and dignity, recognizing that Jesus is calling us into relationship with Himself and each other?

Without ‘oneness’ with God, we lose our direction in life and dry up. Without communion, we risk distancing ourselves from God and each other, leaving relationships broken and hearts hardened.

It is in unity that we can find healing, beautiful relationships, and the Holy Spirit at work. When we live out communion, we are given a foretaste of the sweetness of life in heaven.