God did not need to create the universe. God isn’t any greater because we exist, or because the universe exists. He created the universe simply as a vessel to pour His love into, and to be such a universe all its people have to be free. A universe made as a vessel for divine love cannot have people unable to say no.

Jesus points us to the oldest prayer in Judaism, which is still a central feature of Jewish prayer: the Shema (Deuteronomy 6:4-9). The part that comes after “You shall love the Lord, your God…” describes five steps that form disciples in the love of God and the love of neighbor.

Not all divisions are bad because not all divisions are born of jealousy.