Third Sunday in Ordinary Time, January 25, 2026

Was it a catch or not? Should the Bills’ coach have been fired?

NFL fans, and especially us Bills fans, are deeply divided on those questions. They have been widely debated, and commentators and well known personalities have offered strong opinions on both sides.

Yet when all is said and done, those disagreements don’t affect our souls; they don’t affect our relationship with God or our hope of Heaven. That’s why this division is not something Saint Paul would ever write a letter to us about.

But Saint Paul did write letters to Christian communities that were deeply divided, not over sports, but over matters that had eternal consequences. The divisions he addressed were about whether people were following God or slowly drifting away from Him.

The divisions we heard about in the second reading in the church at Corinth were so deep that Paul writes, “Each of you is saying, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”

…Paul speaks urgently because these divisions were not harmless. They were leading people away from the true Church, and therefore away from God and away from the path to Heaven.

If Saint Paul were writing to our own Catholic community in the United States, he would be writing about divisions on issues where the Church is stunningly clear, and yet many Catholics disagree with Her teaching.

There are serious disagreements today about whether certain actions are sinful or not. Some say, “I am in love, so it can’t be sinful.” But the Church has been clear about what is part of God’s design and what is not. On another issue, some say, “It’s a woman’s choice; it’s her right.” On this issue too, the Church’s teaching is not unclear, even if there is disagreement among her members.

To place ourselves in opposition to those particular teachings is not a small thing. It is to place ourselves at odds with what the Holy Spirit has confirmed as infallibly true through the Church. That is why these divisions matter so much. Saint Paul would certainly be writing to us about them, because where we stand on them actually affects our relationship with Jesus and, therefore, our hope of Heaven.

At the same time, there are issues where Catholics are divided and where the Church allows for prudential judgment. Immigration policy is one example. We know, nations have the right to enforce their laws, and legitimate authority deserves respect. At the same time, the Church insists that the poor, the vulnerable, and the stranger must be treated with dignity and care. Protecting the dignity of migrants and respecting the rule of law are not in conflict, but living both together requires us to avoid treating either law enforcement or migrants unjustly.

Our divisions are real. But when Christ and the teachings of His Church are kept at the center, it becomes possible to respect good people who may be living in situations the Church teaches are not part of God’s plan. It becomes possible to care for women and children without harming either. And it becomes possible to treat migrants humanely while also respecting law enforcement.

…Saint Paul was concerned about unity in the church because being united under the teaching of the Church keeps us oriented toward God and on the path to Heaven.

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