Tuesday, January 19, 2010

That they may be one

This week (January 18-25, 2010) is the annual world-wide commemoration called the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. In this country it is embraced by some communities and, sadly, ignored by others.

The Pontifical Council for Christian Unity co-publishes prayer and study guides each year. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops teams up with the Graymore Institute for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue to make these resources available in our country.

The centerpiece of this year's Week of Prayer is the 24th Chapter of Saint Luke's Gospel. According to the resources posted on the Vatican's website:

During the 2010 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity we will reflect each day on chapter 24 of Luke's gospel stopping at the questions which it asks: Jesus' questions to his disciples; the questions the apostles ask of Christ.

Each of these questions allows us to highlight a particular way of witnessing to the Risen One. Each of them invites us to think about our situation of church division and about how, concretely, we can remedy that. We are already witnesses and we need to become better witnesses. How?

by praising the One who gives us the gift of life and resurrection (Day 1)
by knowing how to share the story of our faith with others (Day 2)
by recognizing that God is at work in our lives (Day 3)
by giving thanks for the faith we have received (Day 4)
by confessing Christ's victory over all suffering (Day 5)
by seeking to always be more faithful to the Word of God (Day 6)
by growing in faith, hope and love (Day 7)
by offering hospitality and knowing how to receive it when it is offered to us (Day 8)

Would our witness not be more faithful to the gospel of Christ in each of these eight aspects if we witnessed together?

Source: Resources for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

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