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Thursday, January 19, 2006
That They May Be One
The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity began yesterday. For anyone unfamiliar with the event, you may want to check out something about it on the web. I found a pretty good explanation and history of it here:
http://www.geii.org/background/bh-eng.index.htm
Pope Benedict spoke of the importance of Christian unity in his audience address yesterday. He concluded with greetings to the audience in different languages. In English, he said:
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a time when all the Lord's followers are asked to reflect on the tragedy of their divisions and to pray with the Lord "that all might be one… that the world may believe" (cf. John 17:21).
Prayer for Christian unity is the "heart of the ecumenical movement" ("Unitatis Redintegratio," No. 8), and is closely linked to conversion of heart and the pursuit of holiness in obedience to God's will. As believers draw closer to the Triune God, they will draw closer to one another and work more readily for the restoration of full communion.
The common prayer of Christians is a powerful means of imploring the grace of unity, since our Lord himself has promised that "if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:19-20).
With gratitude to God for the significant ecumenical progress already made, let us look with hope to the future, and continue our prayers for the unity of all Christians, recognizing that ultimately it is God's gracious gift.
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today's audience, and in particular to the groups from Sweden, South Korea and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke God's blessings of joy and peace.”
The short statement is packed with ideas that seem worth reflecting on. But it’s the first paragraph that struck me most. Who can disagree that the magnitude and fervor of division within Christianity is anything but a tragedy, especially in light of Christ’s prayer? Beyond that, Christian unity seems to be an integral part of our mission to evangelize (“that the world may believe”). Division in the church is a scandal to non-believers, and an impediment to effective evangelization. Most serious Christians have likely experienced this in some way.
Every Christian, I hope, will take this week of prayer seriously. The solution isn’t easy or quick, but it begins with our recognizing the problem, and praying sincerely for the light and the grace to help us to move toward the peace and unity Christ wanted for his church.
http://www.geii.org/background/bh-eng.index.htm
Pope Benedict spoke of the importance of Christian unity in his audience address yesterday. He concluded with greetings to the audience in different languages. In English, he said:
“Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Today begins the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, a time when all the Lord's followers are asked to reflect on the tragedy of their divisions and to pray with the Lord "that all might be one… that the world may believe" (cf. John 17:21).
Prayer for Christian unity is the "heart of the ecumenical movement" ("Unitatis Redintegratio," No. 8), and is closely linked to conversion of heart and the pursuit of holiness in obedience to God's will. As believers draw closer to the Triune God, they will draw closer to one another and work more readily for the restoration of full communion.
The common prayer of Christians is a powerful means of imploring the grace of unity, since our Lord himself has promised that "if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:19-20).
With gratitude to God for the significant ecumenical progress already made, let us look with hope to the future, and continue our prayers for the unity of all Christians, recognizing that ultimately it is God's gracious gift.
I offer a warm welcome to the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors present at today's audience, and in particular to the groups from Sweden, South Korea and the United States of America. Upon you and your families I cordially invoke God's blessings of joy and peace.”
The short statement is packed with ideas that seem worth reflecting on. But it’s the first paragraph that struck me most. Who can disagree that the magnitude and fervor of division within Christianity is anything but a tragedy, especially in light of Christ’s prayer? Beyond that, Christian unity seems to be an integral part of our mission to evangelize (“that the world may believe”). Division in the church is a scandal to non-believers, and an impediment to effective evangelization. Most serious Christians have likely experienced this in some way.
Every Christian, I hope, will take this week of prayer seriously. The solution isn’t easy or quick, but it begins with our recognizing the problem, and praying sincerely for the light and the grace to help us to move toward the peace and unity Christ wanted for his church.
