Denver Catholic

2 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2026 | DENVER CATHOLIC The Unity and Charity Our T wo brothers inherit the family farm and split it in half. One is married with eight children, the other, a bachelor. At harvest time, the married brother realizes his family will support him, but his brother is alone. He decides to secretly put some of his grain in his brother's barn under the cover of night. At the same time, the bachelor brother looks to his brother's large family and sees a greater need. Without realizing what his brother plans to do, he plans to secretly put some of his grain in his brother's barn early in the morning. So they went for years, until one day, one brother left late and the other left early. They met at the property line, realized what each had been doing, dropped their wheelbarrows and embraced in love. I apologize if you've heard me tell that story before, but it's a powerful one for me, especially ARCH B I S H O P ' S CO LU M N CROSSING THE True unity begins in Jesus Christ and comes alive through sacrificial love, service and a willingness to bring the Gospel beyond the walls of our churches into a world in need. BY ARCHBISHOP JAMES GOLKA having grown up in Western Nebraska. I love it because it shows us two things that give me hope for our Church and our country: unity and charity. We live in an age plagued by disagreement and vitriol, without dialogue but with plenty of shouting. But these two brothers and the Gospel itself teach us what it means to live united even in diverse circumstances. The brothers were dif- ferent, having different experiences and needs, yet they came together in love for one another. The apostles, too, came from various back- grounds, yet they united in love for the Lord and one another. Since his election, Pope Leo XIV has prov- identially called us to a supernatural unity, reminding us that "In the One Christ, we are One." Only in Jesus Christ can we find the pow- erful unity that St. Paul talks about in Galatians 3:28: "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." Jesus Christ makes us one. How? Through an abiding charity, love for God and neighbor. Out of a deep love, the two brothers give sacrificially to help each other. In the world's economy, what they do makes no sense. But in the divine econ- omy, it makes the most sense. The early Church lived this powerfully. In fact, an early non-Christian reported to the Roman emperor that Christians behaved strangely: they loved one another, even sacrificially, by caring for widows, strangers, the incarcerated and the poor.

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