"How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity!" (Psalm 133:1)
Psalm 133, one of the shortest Songs of Ascents, is a lyrical celebration of communal unity among the people of God. How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! The exclamation is not merely sociological but theological: the unity of God's people is as precious as the anointing oil that ran down Aaron's beard, as life-giving as the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion. The extravagance of the images suggests that genuine unity among believers is not merely a social nicety but a participation in something divine.
The Church has always read this psalm as a vision of the unity that Christ prayed for in John 17: that they may be one as we are one. The Catechism calls the unity of the Church a gift that must be both received and maintained through love, humility, and the willingness to bear one another's burdens (CCC 820). St. Augustine described the unity of the Church as the sign by which the world will recognise the love of the Father: they will know you are my disciples by your love for one another. When that unity is visible, it is as striking as the anointing oil, as life-giving as the mountain dew. The LORD bestows his blessing there, life forevermore.
Brothers and sisters, how good and pleasant it is. The psalmist begins with wonder, not duty. Unity among believers is not a project to be managed but a gift to be marvelled at when it appears. Where do you see genuine unity among Christians today? Give thanks for it. And where do you have the power to restore or maintain it, use that power. The LORD commands his blessing there.
Lord God, how good and pleasant is the unity of your people. Let it grow among us like the anointing oil and the mountain dew, abundant and life-giving. Command your blessing where your people dwell in unity: life forevermore. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.