The Love of Christ compels us
Reconciliation: Prayer for Unity in the Church
Jan 18 - Jan 25
In 1993, the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity issued the Directory for the Application of Principles and Norms of Ecumenism and explicitly encouraged participation in the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. So today the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity belongs to all Christians who are sincerely interested in the fulfillment of Christ’s prayer “that all may be one.” When he discusses prayer in common in his A Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism, Cardinal Walter Kasper specifically mentions that “the celebration of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity world-wide is an initiative of singular importance to be encouraged and further developed.”
It is sponsored by the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity. On a national basis, materials for the celebration of the Week of Prayer are the work of Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute in collaboration with the Commission on Faith and Order of the National Council of Churches and the Roman Catholic Bishops’ Commission for Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs.
The 2017 theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity revolves around the occasion of the 500th anniversary year of the beginnings of the Reformation. The theme: “Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us” (2 Corinthians 5:14-20) has two accents: reflection upon the main concerns of the churches marked by Martin Luther’s Reformation and secondly recognizing the pain of the subsequent deep divisions which afflicted the unity of the Church. In selecting this theme, it is viewed as an opportunity to take steps toward reconciliation.
References:
| 1 Samuel 16:1. 6-7 | The Lord looks not at outward appearances but at the heart |
| Psalm 19:7-13 |
The commandment of the Lord is clear, enlightening the eyes
|
| Acts 9:1-19 | Saul becomes Paul |
| Matthew 5:1-12 | The Beatitudes |
PRAYER FOR THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH
God of all, we pray as one,
God of all, we pray as one,
that we may be one,
just as the Lord Jesus prayed
we may be one in Him.
Your son Jesus compels us
to be reconciled to one another.
May our spirits be joined
to your Holy Spirit,
that we may witness to
the visible unity of the Church.
May we all recognise
that we are truly one with you,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit and
grow together in peace.
We ask this in the name of Jesus our Lord
Amen.
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