Week of prayer for Christian unity

PoPope Francis: 'Our witness must concentrate on
the centre of our faith.' 

Pope Francis has said the evangelisation of secular society requires focusing on the essentials of Christianity in collaboration with other Christian churches. 

The Pope made his remarks at a meeting with representatives of the Lutheran Church in Finland, who were making their annual ecumenical pilgrimage to Rome on the feast of Finland’s patron, St Henry. The meeting occurred one day before the start of the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Pope Francis told the group that ecumenical relations lately have been undergoing “significant changes, owing above all to the fact that we find ourselves professing our faith in the context of societies and cultures every day more lacking in reference to God and all that recalls the transcendent dimension of life”.

“For this very reason, our witness must concentrate on the centre of our faith, on the announcement of the love of God made manifest in Christ his son,” the Pope said. “Here we find space to grow in communion and in unity, promoting spiritual ecumenism.”

Pope Francis quoted the Second Vatican Council’s decree on ecumenism, which described “spiritual ecumenism” as consisting of “conversion of heart and holiness of life, together with private and public prayer for Christian unity,” which form the “soul of the whole ecumenical movement”.

from The Catholic Herald, 17 January 2014

Saturday, 18 January 2014

Saturday of the First week in Ordinary Time

Feast of the Church : Week of prayer for Christian unity

See commentary below or click here
Vatican Council II: "As he passed by, he saw Levi... He said to him, 'Follow me.' " 

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Mark 2:13-17.

Jesus went out along the sea. All the crowd came to him and he taught them.
As he passed by, he saw Levi, son of Alphaeus, sitting at the customs post. He said to him, "Follow me." And he got up and followed him. ... 

Commentary of the day :

Vatican Council II
Dogmatic Constitution on revelation « Dei Verbum », § 1-2

"As he passed by, he saw Levi... He said to him, 'Follow me.' "

Hearing the word of God with reverence and proclaiming it with faith, the sacred synod takes its direction from these words of Saint John: "We announce to you the eternal life which dwelt with the Father and was made visible to us. What we have seen and heard we announce to you, so that you may have fellowship with us and our common fellowship be with the Father and His Son Jesus Christ" (1 Jn 1:2-3)...

In His goodness and wisdom God chose to reveal Himself and to make known to us the hidden purpose of His will (Eph 1,9) by which, through Christ, the Word made flesh, man might in the Holy Spirit have access to the Father and come to share in the divine nature (Eph 2,18; 2 Pt 1,4). Through this revelation, therefore, the invisible God (Col 1,15; 1 Tm. 1,17) out of the abundance of His love speaks to men as friends (Ex 33,11; Jn 15,14-15) and lives among them (Bar 3,38), so that He may invite and take them into fellowship with Himself.

This plan of revelation is realized by deeds and words having an inner unity: the deeds wrought by God in the history of salvation manifest and confirm the teaching and realities signified by the words, while the words proclaim the deeds and clarify the mystery contained in them. By this revelation then, the deepest truth about God and the salvation of man shines out for our sake in Christ, who is both the mediator and the fullness of all revelation.

Conversion of St. Paul, Apostle. St Catherine of Siena Meditation

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Eight: Walking in Celebration

The biblical texts on this day speak about celebration, not in the sense of celebrating a successful completion, but celebration as a sign of hope in God and in God’s justice. Similarly, the celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is our sign of hope that our unity will be achieved according to God’s time and God’s means.

Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul - Jan. 25

Acts 22:3-16 or Acts 9:1-22  +  Psalm 117  +  Mark 16:15-18

January 25, 2013

“ ‘I am Jesus the Nazarene whom you are persecuting.’ ”  [Acts 22:8]

COMMUNION ANTIPHON

Cf. Ga 2:21 I live by faith in the Son of God, who has loved me and giver himself up for me.

PRAYER AFTER COMMUNION

May the Sacrament we have received, O Lord our God, stir up in us that fire of charity

with which the blessed Apostle Paul burned ardently as he bore his concern for all the Churches.

Through Christ our Lord .

MEDITATION OF THE DAY (Magnificat.com)

The Effects of Paul’s Conversion

This is what the dear trumpeter Paul did. He clothed himself in Christ crucified, and was stripped of the joy of [seeing] the divine Essence. He clothed himself in the human Christ-that is, in the sufferings and humiliations of Christ crucified, and wanted no other joy. He even said, "I refuse to glory except in the cross of Christ crucified."

And that pleased him so much that-as the same apostle once said to a servant of his, "My dear daughter, I so clasped it to myself with the bond of affection and. love that it was never lifted, never loosened a bit, except when life was taken from me." Dear Paul seemed truly to have studied this teaching. He knew it so thoroughly that he became a person who ate and savoured souls. He became like a sponge absorbing water, so that as he travelled along the way of humiliation he absorbed the boundless charity and goodness with which God supremely loves his creatures.

He saw that [Christ's] will is for the eternal Father's honour and our salvation and holiness, and that he gave himself up to death in order to realise this holiness in us.

Paul grasped and understood this, and once he had understood it he at once devoted himself to giving honour to God and his best efforts to his neighbours. Courageously he proclaimed the truth. He was zealous, not holding back for lack of concern. And he became a vessel of love filled with fire, to carry and preach God’s Word.

Saint Catherine of Siena

Christian Unity. Day Six: Walking Beyond Barriers

Ordinary Time: January 23rd

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Day Six: Walking Beyond Barriers

Walking with God means walking beyond barriers that divide and damage the children of God. The biblical readings on this day look at various ways in which human barriers are overcome, culminating in St Paul’s teaching that “As many of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.”

Vatican Resources

Night Office - The Spirit of Unity by Fr. James Quinn S.J.

(from an article in the Clergy Review January 1987.)

The spirit of unity

If we are to grow together into the fullness of unity, we must first want unity. We must want it, not for our own glory but in humble obedience to Christ.

We should want other Christians to be one with us because we miss their presence and feel somehow incomplete without them. We must see them, not as rivals or strangers, still less as enemies, but as fellow-pilgrims who belong to us in a very real sense, through our spiritual kinship with them by baptism.

There should be a spirit of forgiveness where we may think that other Christians have wronged us. There should be a spirit of repentance for our own sins against other Christians.

Above all, we should not live in the past but in the reality of the present, and in hope of a more Christian future.

The Eucharist and Christian unity

The Church is essentially a communion of faith, hope and love. It is a communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit, as well as a communion with all its members in the Body of Christ.

Baptism is the basic, initial sacrament of Christian unity. It establishes a sacramental bond among all who have been baptized.

Holy Communion is the crowning sacrament of Christian unity, setting the seal on perfect unity.

The supernatural communion which is the Church must be seen as a true community in itself, but also as a community seeking to welcome into its unity the whole family of mankind. 

On commitment to Ecumenism John Paul II 18 Jan 2013

Night Office

A Reading about Christian Unity

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/encyclicals/documents/hf_jp-ii_enc_25051995_ut-unum-sint_en.html   

UT UNUM SINT 
IOANNES PAULUS PP. II

  

 

 

 On commitment to Ecumenism

The fundamental importance of doctrine 

18. Taking up an idea expressed by Pope John XXIII at the opening of the Council,³¹ the Decree on Ecumenism mentions the way of formulating doctrine as one of the elements of a continuing reform.³² Here it is not a question of altering the deposit of faith, changing the meaning of dogmas, eliminating essential words from them, accommodating truth to the preferences of a particular age, or suppressing certain articles of the Creed under the false pretext that they are no longer understood today. The unity willed by God can be attained only by the adherence of all to the content of revealed faith in its entirety. In matters of faith, compromise is in contradiction with God who is Truth. In the Body of Christ, "the way, and the truth, and the life" (Jn 14:6), who could consider legitimate a reconciliation brought about at the expense of the truth? The Council's Declaration on Religious Freedom Dignitatis Humanaeattributes to human dignity the quest for truth, "especially in what concerns God and his Church",³³ and adherence to truth's demands. A "being together" which betrayed the truth would thus be opposed both to the nature of God who offers his communion and to the need for truth found in the depths of every human heart. 

19. Even so, doctrine needs to be presented in a way that makes it understandable to those for whom God himself intends it. In my Encyclical Epistle Slavorum Apostoli, I recalled that this was the very reason why Saints Cyril and Methodius laboured to translate the ideas of the Bible and the concepts of Greek theology in the context of very different historical experiences and ways of thinking. They wanted the one word of God to be "made accessible in each civilization's own forms of expression".³⁴ They recognized that they could not therefore "impose on the peoples assigned to their preaching either the undeniable superiority of the Greek language and Byzantine culture, or the customs and way of life of the more advanced society in which they had grown up".³⁵ Thus they put into practice that "perfect communion in love which preserves the Church from all forms of particularism, ethnic exclusivism or racial prejudice, and from any nationalistic arrogance".³⁶ In the same spirit, I did not hesitate to say to the Aboriginal Peoples of Australia: "You do not have to be divided into two parts ... Jesus calls you to accept his words and his values into your own culture".³⁷ 

Because by its nature the content of faith is meant for all humanity, it must be translated into all cultures. Indeed, the element which determines communion in truth is the meaning of truth. The expression of truth can take different forms. The renewal of these forms of expression becomes necessary for the sake of transmitting to the people of today the Gospel message in its unchanging meaning.³⁸ 

"This renewal therefore has notable ecumenical significance".³⁹ And not only renewal in which the faith is expressed, but also of the very life of faith. It might therefore be asked: who is responsible for doing this? To this question the Council replies clearly: "Concern for restoring unity pertains to the whole Church, faithful and clergy alike. It extends to everyone, according to the ability of each, whether it be exercised in daily Christian living or in theological and historical studies".⁴⁰

Eve of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Delegation - annual visit to Rome for the feast of St. Henrik, patron saint of Finland.

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Pope Benedict Receives Ecumenical Delegation From Finland

Henry (Bishop of Finland)

Prays for Communion Among Christians on Eve of Week of Prayer for Christian Unity   

By Junno Arocho

VATICAN CITY, January 17, 2013 (Zenit.org) - An Ecumenical Delegation from Finland was received in audience by Pope Benedict XVI today. The delegation came for their annual visit to Rome for the feast of St. Henrik, patron saint of Finland.

The Holy Father greeted the members of the delegation while noting that timeliness of their visit on the eve of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The Pope commented on the theme of the upcoming Week of Prayer: "What does God require of us?" which is taken from the prophet Micah.

"The Prophet makes clear, of course, what the Lord requires of us: it is "to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with our God". The Christmas season which we have just celebrated reminds us that it is God who from the beginning has walked with us, and who, in the fullness of time, took flesh in order to save us from our sins and to guide our steps in the way of holiness, justice and peace," the Pope said.

"Walking humbly in the presence of the Lord, in obedience to his saving word and with trust in his gracious plan, serves as an eloquent image not only of the life of faith, but also of our ecumenical journey on the path towards the full and visible unity of all Christians."

The Supreme Pontiff said that in order to move forward in ways of ecumenical communion, it is ever more crucial to be united in prayer, to be committed to the pursuit of holiness, "and ever more engaged in the areas of theological research and cooperation in the service of a just and fraternal society."

Expressing his hope that the delegations visit to Rome would help strengthen ecumenical ties between Christians in Finland, Pope Benedict prayed that Christ would guide Finnish Christians towards greater love and unity.

"By walking together in humility along the path of justice, mercy and righteousness which the Lord has pointed out to us, Christians will not only dwell in the truth, but also be beacons of joy and hope to all those who are looking for a sure point of reference in our rapidly changing world," Pope Benedict XVI said.

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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2013

Friday 18th January.

The Abbot reminded the Sacristan to use white vestments for the Mass during the Octave of Unity Week.

The Night Office will have the Redings chosen on the Christian Unity theme.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/weeks-prayer-doc/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20120611_week-prayer-2013_en.html   THE WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY  and throughout the year 2013 What does God require of us? (cf. Micah 6:6-8) Jointly prepared and published by The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity The Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2013 http://sacredspace102.blogspot.co.uk/2013/01/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-2013_12.html A Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is held every year from the 18th to the 25th January - the octave of St. Peter and St. Paul. Those dates were proposed in 1908 by Paul Wattson to cover the days between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul, and therefore have a symbolic significance. In the southern hemisphere where January is a holiday time churches often find other days to celebrate the week of prayer, for example around Pentecost (suggested by the Faith and Order movement in 1926), which is also a symbolic date for the unity of the church. The aim of the Week of Prayer are: To pray as Christ prayed "That they may be one". To pray for the unity of all Christian People as we share in Christ's ministry. This years theme is ‘What does God require of Us?’ (Micah 6:6-8)

Each day of the Week will have a different theme: The path of Christian discipleship involves walking the path of justice, mercy and humility. The metaphor of ‘walking’ has been chosen to link together the 8 days of prayer because, as an active, intentional and ongoing act, the metaphor of walking communicates the dynamism which characterizes Christian discipleship. Further, the theme of the tenth assembly of the WCC to be held in Busan, Korea, in 2013 - ‘God of life lead us to Justice and Peace’ resonates with the image of the Trinitarian God who accompanies humanity and walks into human history while inviting all people to walk in partnership. The 8 subthemes for the week, related to different modes of walking, enable us to focus on various dimensions of an authentic Christian discipleship which walks the path of righteousness that leads to life (Prov 12:28a). Day 1: walking in conversation. We reflect on the importance of the practices of dialogue and conversation, as a means of overcoming barriers. Both in ecumenism, and in the struggles for liberation of people across the globe, the skills of speaking and listening are recognised as essential. In such authentic conversation we can come to recognise Christ more clearly. Day 2: walking with the broken body of Christ. Recognising the solidarity between Christ crucified, and the “broken peoples” of the world, such as the Dalits, we seek as Christians together to learn to be more deeply a part of this solidarity ourselves. In particular, the relation of eucharist and justice is opened up, and Christians invited to discover practical ways of eucharistic living in the world. Day 3: walking towards freedom. Today we are invited to celebrate the efforts of communities across our world that are oppressed, like the Dalits in India, as they protest against all that enslaves human beings. As Christians committed to greater unity, we learn that the removal of all that separates people from one another is an essential part of fullness of life, freedom in the Spirit. Day 4: walking as children of the earth. Awareness of our place in God’s creation draws us together, as we realize our interdependence upon one another and the earth. Contemplating the urgent calls to environmental care, and to proper sharing and justice with regard to the fruits of the earth, Christians are called into lives of active witness, in the spirit of the year of Jubilee. Day 5: walking as the friends of Jesus. Today we reflect on the biblical images of human friendship and love as models for God’s love for every human being. Understanding ourselves as beloved friends of God has consequences for relationships within the community of Jesus. Within the Church, all barriers of exclusion are inconsistent within a community in which all are equally the beloved friends of Jesus. Day 6: walking beyond barriers. Walking with God means walking beyond barriers that divide and damage the children of God. The biblical readings on this day look at various ways in which human barriers are overcome, culminating in St Paul’s teaching that “As many of you were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus.” Day 7: walking in solidarity. To walk humbly with God means walking in solidarity with all who struggle for justice and peace. Walking in solidarity has implications not just for individual believers, but for the very nature and mission of the whole Christian community. The Church is called and empowered to share the suffering of all by advocacy and care for the poor, the needy and the marginalised. Such is implicit in our prayer for Christian unity this week. Day 8: walking in celebration. The biblical texts on this day speak about celebration, not in the sense of celebrating a successful completion, but celebration as a sign of hope in God and in God’s justice. Similarly, the celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is our sign of hope that our unity will be achieved according to God’s time and God’s means.

One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer

This year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity centers on Jerusalem and essentials of the faith   The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, to be celebrated January 18-25 in most Christian churches in the northern hemisphere, will be grounded in the experience of the churches in Jerusalem. Week of Prayer for Christian Unity The theme - "One in the apostles’ teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer" (Acts 2:42) - was chosen by a group of Christian leaders in Jerusalem. The leaders intend the theme as a call for inspiration and renewal, a return to the essentials of the faith, and a call to remember the time when the church was still one.  World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit wrote in a letter to churches introducing the prayers for 2011, "The unity of the church we seek is not a mere abstraction. For Christians in Jerusalem, who live in continuity with the apostolic community of Jerusalem, the mother church of us all, such unity entails prayer, reflection and a cry arising within a context of despair and suffering. Together with them we trust that God is ever vigilant as we pray for peace and justice for all inhabitants of the Holy Land." http://www.ncccusa.org/news/110113weekofprayer.html

Acts 2:42 Greek Study Bible (Apostolic / Interlinear) Ἦσαν δὲ προσκαρτεροῦντες τῇ διδαχῇ τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῇκλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου καὶ ταῖς προσευχαῖς. KJV with Strong's  And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread andin prayers                                                 Biblos Com  http://biblos.com/acts/2-42.htm