Today’s readings remind us that as Christians we are all citizens of the nation of Christ.  Other national boundaries are meaningless as we are subjects of God first and foremost.  From Ezekiel, God gathers the Israelites, who have been scattered to different countries, back together into one nation of people worshipping one God.  They will have one King and one God and be united thus.  They who were separated are together now in their belief.  They will draw strength from their belief and their God. 

Jesus, who is King of kings, brings all Christians together in the same way.  Even though people are separated by nationality, location, language, they are brought together by one belief, one God, the King of all – regardless of nation.  The Gospel is leading up to Easter now:  leading up to Christ’s sacrifice, and thinking ahead to the results of that sacrifice.  Caiaphas, addressed them: "Can you not see that it is better for you to have one man die [for the people] than to have the whole nation destroyed?"  (He did not say this on his own.  It was rather as high priest for that year that he prophesied that Jesus would die for the nation -- and not for this nation only, but to gather into one all the dispersed children of God.)  When Christ died he brought into being that new nation of Christians, united under one God, one King, one belief.  Through this one death a whole nation was created.

This belief transcends language and national boundary and political differences to unite all Christians together.  I’ve attended Mass in Paris, in Ireland, in England, in Mexico, and in at least five different states.  Despite different cultures and different languages the basic experience is the same.  The celebration of the Eucharist is beyond language.  Christ’s sacrifice is beyond national boundaries.  Anywhere in the world Mass is a coming together of the Christian community for celebration.  Separate nationalities become meaningless in the larger Christian community.  From Fr. John Foley’s song “One Bread, One Body:”  “And we though many, throughout the earth, We are one body in this one Lord.”