‘That they all may be one…’ John 17:21

Amid ongoing threats to peace worldwide, Christians are invited to pray for peace during the week of Prayer for Christian Unity:  18^th – 25^th January

The theme for this year:

'There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling’   Ephesians 4:4

Throughout Scripture, God’s call to unity resonates from the earliest times, starting with the Old Testament, Abram’s plea to Lot highlights the desire for peace and harmony among the people: ‘Let there be no strife between you and me and between your herdsmen and mine; for we are kindred’   Genesis 13:8  The call for harmony and mutual respect, emphasizes the importance of living peacefully. As in the Book of Leviticus, 19:18, God says, ‘You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself’

Forgiveness and love are vital for maintaining unity within a community.

Psalm 133 goes on to say ‘How very good and pleasant it is when people live together in unity’

In a world with diverse and often divided traditions and expressions of Christian faith, we are reminded in Ephesians 4:4 that all believers are part of the ‘one body of Christ’.

Pope Leo invites all catholic communities ‘to intensify their prayer during these days, for the full, visible unity of all Christians’.

To ponder… :           

In what ways can the image of God as the loving and caring Father of all be integrated into the mission and lives of our different church communities, so as to promote a more unified Christian witness in the world ?