In Illo Uno Unum. E Pluribus Unum.
At least one of these Latin mottos should be quite familiar to you.
“E pluribus unum” is on every US coin you’ve ever handled. From the 13 original colonies, with their various histories, geography, economy and culture, one new nation was formed. As we celebrate the birth of our nation on this Independence Day weekend, we recall that this unity did not simply drop down from above. It was the fruit of persistent and difficult labor to form one new national identity from a wide variety of persons and perspectives.
The work of forming “one from many” did not end with the Declaration of Independence. And the fact that it still takes persistent and often challenging work, to define, preserve and hand on that unity as a nation is not a defect or a problem. It is the task we have received to be lived out, and we have been given so much freedom and opportunity to carry on this work. As we celebrate our independence this weekend, may we renew our commitment to use that freedom wisely and well, for our own nation and all who continue look to us as a beacon in the world today.
The other motto may be unfamiliar. “In Illo Uno Unum” is the papal motto of our Holy Father, Pope Leo XIV. It is taken from a commentary by St. Augustine on Psalm 127, and roughly translates to “In the One (Christ, we are) one.” St. Augustine speaks about the unity of the entire Church with Christ, her head. St. Paul described how each of us, individual members, form one body in Christ (Romans 12:5). Unlike our unity as a nation, our unity in Christ is not the end result of our diligent effort. It is his work, uniting us to himself through Baptism and our abiding communion with him and one another. This is God’s will for us – to be united with him in the Son, and to live that communion in this life and in eternity. Because God has made us one with him in Christ, we have the power and the mission to live as one, building up that unity because in Christ we belong to one another.
Pope Leo repeatedly calls us to build bridges of communion. This is a perennial challenge, but also our vocation as Christians. The fact that it takes diligent and persistent effort is not a defect – it is our calling as we are sent into the vineyard, to gather in a bountiful harvest.
As we rightly celebrate our union from many on this Independence Day, may we also live as Christians and Catholics in our culture and society, as signs and instruments of unity. Not just a unity coming from human ingenuity and effort – “E Pluribus Unum” – but the unity founded in the very inner life of the Triune God, a unity given to us as a gift and task, united and empowered by our one faith in Christ – “In Illo Uno Unum.”
