Week of Prayer for Christian Unity – Page 2

Theme for Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011 announced

Each year the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has a theme and the theme for the 2011 observance of the Week of Prayer is One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer.

The 2011 theme was announced by the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches. The Christians in Jerusalem are the major consultants for the 2011 observance. The theme’s “inspiration” comes from Acts 2:42.

For more information on the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2011 and other resources, visit the website.

Conversion of Saint Paul

Gladly will I glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

Among the biblical readings from today’s liturgy there is the celebrated text of St. Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians in which the Church is compared to the human body. The Apostle writes: “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The Church is understood as a body, which forms with Christ, who is the head, one single whole. Nevertheless, what the Apostle wishes to communicate is the idea of unity in the multiplicity of charisms, which are the gifts of the Holy Spirit.

Thanks to these gifts the Church presents itself as a rich — and not a uniform — living organism, the fruit of the one Spirit who leads all into a profound unity, assuming the differences without abolishing them and realizing a harmonious ensemble. It prolongs the presence of the risen Lord in history, especially through the Sacraments, the Word of God, the charisms and the offices distributed in the community. For this reason, it is precisely in Christ and in the Spirit that the Church is one and holy, that is, an intimate communion that transcends and sustains human capacities.

I would like to emphasize this aspect while we are observing the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,” which concludes tomorrow, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. Following tradition, I will celebrate vespers in the afternoon in the Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls, with the participation of representatives from the other Churches and ecclesial communities present in Rome. We will ask God for the gift of the complete unity of all the disciples of Christ and, in particular, according to this year’s theme, we will renew the commitment to being together witnesses of the crucified and risen Lord (cf. Luke 24:48). The communion of Christians, in fact, makes the proclamation of the Gospel more credible and efficacious, as Jesus himself said as he prayed to the Father on the eve of his death: “That they may be one … that the world might believe” (John 17:21).

(Pope Benedict XVI, Angelus Address, January 24, 2010; Image of the “Conversion of Saint Paul” by Hans Speckaert)

Pope urges the Church to take seriously prayer for COMPLETE unity among Christians

Speaking of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which begins today and lasts until the 25th, the Pope talked about the value of the prayer initiatives for the Week at the Sunday Angelus Address:

Every year it constitutes, for believers in Christ, a
propitious time to revive the ecumenical spirit, to meet each other, to get to
know each other, to pray and reflect together. The biblical theme, taken from
the Gospel of St. Luke, echoes the words of the risen Jesus to the apostles:
“You are witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48). Our proclamation of the
Gospel of Jesus will be much more credible and effective the more that we are
united in his love, as true brothers. Thus, I invite parishes, religious
communities, ecclesial movements and associations to pray unceasingly, in a
special way during Eucharistic Celebrations, for the complete unity of
Christians.

The condition of our Catholicism is unity among Christians

Lord, pour out upon us the fullness of your mercy, and
by the power of your Spirit remove divisions among Christians. Let your
Church rise more clearly as a sign for all the nations that the world may be
filled with the light of your Spirit and believe in Jesus Christ whom you have
sent, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and
ever. (from the Mass for Unity of Christians)

The work of bringing about the unity among Christians is a supreme priority for all Catholics, indeed, all Christians. In the 26+ year ministry of Pope John Paul II we saw this work unfold and advance in many unimaginable ways, as we did with previous popes, but John Paul recognized Christian unity as a fruit of the Holy Spirit. We were reminded the Church’s priority for Christian unity at the beginning of Benedict’s pontificate. The month of January 2010 we are asked by the Pope to keep this work in our sacrifice of prayer not because it is a “nice thing to do,” but because it is a condition, that is, a premise, a stipulation, a prerequisite for Catholic faith and life. Let’s recall a portion of what Benedict said at his inaugural Mass as Supreme Pontiff:

…image of the shepherd and that of the fisherman issue
an explicit call to unity. “I have other sheep that are not of this fold; I
must lead them too, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock,
one shepherd” (Jn 10:16); these are the words of Jesus at the end of his
discourse on the Good Shepherd. And the account of the 153 large fish ends with
the joyful statement: “although there were so many, the net was not torn” (Jn
21:11). Alas, beloved Lord, with sorrow we must now acknowledge that it has
been torn! But no – we must not be sad! Let us rejoice because of your promise,
which does not disappoint, and let us do all we can to pursue the path towards
the unity you have promised. Let us remember it in our prayer to the Lord, as
we plead with him: yes, Lord, remember your promise. Grant that we may be one
flock and one shepherd! Do not allow your net to be torn, help us to be
servants of unity! (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily for the Beginning of the Petrine
Ministry, 2005)

2010 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity: You are witness of these things

Since 1908 the Church has called upon us to join in prayer with
other Christians around the world during the Week of Prayer for Christian
Unity. We do this work of prayer as an education in hope for spiritual and actual Christian unity realizing that the Holy Spirit is the only one capable of bring unity among various groups of Christians. The proposal for a week of prayer was initiated in the USA by Franciscans of the Atonement Father Paul
Wattson and it is held from January 18 – 25. Today the observance is international in scope.

It is generally held that the 1910
World Mission Conference in Edinburgh, Scotland, marked the beginnings of the
modern ecumenical movement.

In tribute, the promoters of the Week of Prayer for
Christian Unity, the Commission on Faith and Order and the Pontifical Council for
Promoting Christian Unity, invited the Scottish churches to prepare this year’s
theme. They suggested: “You are
witnesses of these things” (Luke 24:48).

The 2010 theme is a reminder that as the
community of faith those reconciled with God and in Christ, “You are witness of
these things“–witness to the truth of the power of salvation in Jesus Christ
who will also make real his prayer,
“That all may be one…so the world may believe.” *Witness gives praise
to the Presence who gives us the gift of life and resurrection; by knowing how
to share the story of our faith with others; by recognizing that God is at work
in our lives; by giving thanks for the faith we have received; by confessing
Christ’s victory over all suffering; by seeking to always be more faithful to
the Word of God; by growing in faith, hope and love; and by offering
hospitality and knowing how to receive it when it is offered to us.

Materials
to observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity are available from the
Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute, a ministry of the Franciscan Friars
of the Atonement.

For more information visit www.geii.org

Daily Themes for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009

The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity worked with the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches for the preparation of materials for the week of prayer.

The daily themes are:

Jan. 18: Christian communities face to face with old and new divisions.

Jan. 19: Christians face to face with war and violence.

Jan. 20: Christians face to face with economic injustice and poverty.

Jan. 21: Christians face to face with ecological crisis.

Jan. 22: Christians face to face with discrimination and social prejudice.

Jan. 23: Christians face to face with disease and suffering.

Jan. 24: Christians face to face with a plurality of religions.

Jan. 25: Christian proclamation of hope in a world of separation.

Because we follow Christ and His Church we “pray that all may be one,” without forgetting the part that says “so that the world may believe that we are sent.”

The Holy Father said: “Let us too welcome this invitation and pray with greater intensity that Christians walk in a resolute way toward full communion with each other. I especially address Catholics throughout the world that, united in prayer, they do not tire to work to overcome obstacles that still impede full communion among Christ’s disciples. The ecumenical task is even more urgent today, to give to our society, which is marked by tragic conflicts and lacerating divisions, a sign and an impulse toward reconciliation and peace.

In our particular circumstance we can make a contribution to the work of Christian unity. As we know Christian unity has a priority of the Church through the centuries; it was reaffirmed as a priority of the Second Vatican and it was evidenced during the 26 years of Pope John Paul IIs papacy. Christian unity is a hallmark of Pope Benedict. So I ask, where are you going to make a contribution, with grace, in the work of Christian unity in 2009?

The Pontifical Council for Christian Unity has a useful resource page.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009

2009 is the 101st observance of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The week begins today and ends on the 25th, the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul. The theme is “That they may become one in your hand.” (Ezekiel 37:15-19, 22-24a)

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2009 is rooted in the experience of the churches in Korea. In their context of national division these churches have turned for inspiration to the prophet Ezekiel, who also lived in a tragically divided nation and longed for the unity of his people.

According to Ezekiel the division of the people reflected – and resulted from – their sinfulness and alienation from God. They may become again one people by renouncing their sins, undergoing conversion, and returning to God. Yet ultimately it is God who unites God’s people by purifying, renewing and liberating them from their divisions. For Ezekiel this unity is not simply the joining of previously divided groups; it is rather a new creation, the birth of a new people which should be a sign of hope to other peoples and indeed to all of humanity.

Resources at Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute