UNITY OCTAVE 2017- DAY 5

The Love of Christ compels us

Reconciliation: 
Prayer for Unity in the Church, Jan18-Jan25

Commemoration of the 500^th Anniversary of the Reformation

The churches in Germany decided to commemorate this anniversary as a Christusfest (an ecumenical celebration of Christ). The Reformation was the occasion of a renewed focus on salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. We rejoice in God’s salvation centered on the cross of Christ, who overcomes division and draws us together. This worship openly confesses and asks forgiveness for the sins of division which followed the Reformation. The service will celebrate Christ and his act of reconciliation, which moves the hearts of divided Christians to become ambassadors for Christ as ministers of reconciliation.

The theme “Reconciliation – the Love of Christ Compels Us” celebrates the irrevocable reconciliation that we have received through faith in Jesus Christ. Christ's love becomes the driving force that moves us beyond our division toward acts of reconciliation.

Through psalms and songs we gather in Jesus’ name in praise of God’s wondrous deeds. We confess our sins of division and make our plea for forgiveness. The proclamation of the Word highlights the reconciling action of Christ as “One who died for all” (v. 14). The faithful respond to this good news by accepting the call to be ministers of reconciliation .

THEME FOR DAY 5: EVERYTHING HAS BECOME NEW (2 Cor 5:17)

References:

Ezekiel 36:25-27     - Receiving a new heart from God
Psalm 126               - Being filled with joy
Colossians 3: 9-17 - Being renewed in Christ
John 3:1-8              - Being born in the Spirit

PRAYER FOR THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH 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.

REIGN - DO IT YOURSELF

Perceive, Identify and Challenge

22nd January, 2017: 3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is 8:23 - 9:3; 1 Cor 1:10-13, 17; Mt 4: 12-23

Christians divided among themselves is a terrible scandal to the rest of the world. We are in the midst of the Unity Octave or the Prayer week for Unity among Christians and today the readings seem to point to an application of the same to our day to day Christian living! It is easier to brush aside the message saying it is impractical, than to take it seriously and examine our situation - personally, and in our immediate context.

There is a great witness of the power of unity that is going on in our city these days - the youth protest at Marina. Let us not consider these young minds so trifle to be fighting so hard for a simple game with the bull. They are uniting for a greater cause and that cause is fundamentally unity! Unity is strength, unity is divine, unity is Christ-ian.

The Readings have a practical logic that they follow: they present a problem, they indicate the cause and then propose the challenge! The Problem: Darkness, gloom and hatred in the world. Cause: Divisions among persons, for whatever reason it be! Challenge: Repent and Accept the Reign of God. The readings taken together seem to present to us a Do-it-yourself guide towards making the Reign of God present amidst us.

Step 1: Perceive the Problem: the darkness, the gloom and the hatred that surrounds today. Killings, wars, provocative political policies, inhuman oppressive practices, social unrest, economic exploitations, manipulation of the powerless and the suppression of the voiceless - today it looks like the world is a dangerous place to live in and it seems to get worse by the day! Isaiah speaks from such a context in the first reading, as explains Matthew in the Gospel: people who sit in darkness and land overshadowed by death! The world is such, yes; but how is it around you and me! The first step the readings suggest today is to take note of our situation: look around...it could be your family, or your parish, or your locality - identify the darkness, the shadow of death that hovers, anything that does not allow you and those around you to live your life to the full.

Step 2: Identify the Cause: self-centered vision and egocentric outlook on life. Divisions on the basis of various categories - be it economic, social, religious, traditional or whatever - are opposed to the Gospel message. How sad it is to see a Christian community divided on the basis of caste! How painful it is to see a Christian community where there are still people who have absolutely nothing to live on, while there are others who can spend lavishly on unreasonable luxuries! How scandalous to see a Christian community that comes together on the Sunday, celebrates together the sacraments and goes back unaffected by each other! How contradicting to see a Christian family divide within - for the sake of property or money, due to ego clashes or owing to years of hatred! The second reading pleads that we identify the cause of those situations that does not allow us to live our Christian life fully!

Step 3: Accept the Challenge of the Reign: to repent and be the change! We want the world to change, but we are not ready to be the change. We are scared to be taken advantage of, we do not want to take any risks. We preach peace and pray for prosperity in the world, but what do we do for it in practice? Are we ready to forgive without hesitation, love without calculation, help without expectation, contribute without remuneration? Are we ready to just leave everything and follow Christ as the disciples did? Follow Christ, to preach the Reign, by first of all, living ourselves as the people of the Reign? If we are ready...then, the people who sit in darkness will see a light; those dwelling in the land overshadowed by death will see a light. Let us repent, be the change, and spread peace, love and life!

STRENNA 2017

UNITY OCTAVE 2017 - DAY 4

The Love of Christ compels us

Reconciliation: Prayer for Unity in the Church

Jan 18 - Jan 25

The love of Christ compels us to pray, but also to move beyond our prayers for unity among Christians. Congregations and churches need the gift of God's reconciliation as a wellspring of life. But above all, they need it for their common witness to the world: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (John 17:21).

The world needs ministers of reconciliation, who will break down barriers, build bridges, make peace, and open doors to new ways of life in the name of the one who reconciled us to God, Jesus Christ. His Holy Spirit leads the way on the path to reconciliation in his name.

As this text was being written in 2015, many people and churches in Germany were practising reconciliation by offering hospitality to the numerous refugees arriving from Syria, Afghanistan, Eritrea, as well as countries of the Western Balkans, in search of protection and a new life. This opportunity has not reduced even a bit today, and the people who need our touch of peace will always be there. Can we put behind ourselves all bias and prejudices and reach out to people in real need?

THEME FOR DAY 4: EVERYTHING OLD HAS PASSED AWAY (2 Cor 5:17)

References:

Genesis 19:15-26 Don’t look back Psalm 77: 5-15 God is always faithful Philippians 3: 7-14 Forgetting what lies behind Luke 9:57-62 Keep your hand on the plough
PRAYER FOR THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH 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.

THE WORD AND THE SAINT

Holy of Holies 

Celebrating Agnes - the Spouse of the Lord

Heb 9: 2-3,11-14; Mk 3: 20-21

Jesus is compared to the Jewish high priests who alone are allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, and even that, only once a year. Jesus has entered and has come from a place holier than the Holy of holies, infact he is the Sanctuary, the Altar, the Sacrifice and the High Priest. There is none who can be paralleled to him. But even Jesus could not reveal this without struggles - he was mocked at, he was criticised, he was called even a lunatic by his own people. Such was his dedication and consecration to the mission entrusted to him.

The same dedication and consecration we see in the young girl whom we celebrate today. St. Agnes, did not live more than 13 years of her life, but consecrated herself to the Lord and considered her life and her body totally belonging to the Lord. She stood against anything that could deviate her from the Lord and gave up even her life for the simple belief that "the Lord is my Spouse". 

Struggles, criticism, insults, misunderstandings, persecution, desertion, nothing should move us from belonging to the Lord. If they do, we would lose not merely our opportunity to enter the holy of holies, but the grace of living there forever!