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Church Unity Octave (Jan 20)

January 20, 2026

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

DAY 3 (Jan 20)

Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (cf. Eph 4:3).

Invocation

Raise us to life, O Lord.

R/. (If celebrated in the morning). That the Lord may usher forth this sunlit morning and guide the day ahead in peace; with faith, let us beseech the Lord.

R/. (If celebrated in the evening) That the Lord may usher forth this coming evening and the night ahead in peace; with faith, let us beseech the Lord.

For an angel of peace to be our guardian, let us ask the Lord. R/. Grant it, O Lord.

For the pardon and forgiveness of our transgressions, let us ask the Lord. R/. Grant it, O Lord.

For the great and mighty power of the holy Cross to help us, let us ask the Lord. R/. Grant it, O Lord.

Once again, for our true and holy faith, all together, let us beseech the Lord. R/. Lord, have mercy.

Let us commit ourselves and one another to the almighty Lord our God. R/. We commit ourselves to you, O Lord.

Have mercy on us, Lord our God, in your great mercy. R/. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Scripture: Isaiah 11:6-9

⁶The wolf will live with the lamb,
    and the leopard will lie down with the young goat,
    the calf, the young lion, and the fattened calf together;
    and a little child will lead them.
⁷The cow and the bear will graze.
    Their young ones will lie down together.
    The lion will eat straw like the ox.
⁸The nursing child will play near a cobra’s hole,
    and the weaned child will put his hand on the viper’s den.
⁹They will not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain;
    for the earth will be full of the knowledge of Yahweh,
    as the waters cover the sea.

Psalm Response

Reflection

Peace is a crucial factor in maintaining unity within the Church. In Ephesians 4:3, the “bond of peace” signifies a vital and active principle that not only connects but also sustains the unity of the Christian community. Christ, the Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6), preached peace and reconciliation. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), both a gift and a result of the Spirit at work. The “bond of peace” is an active force that maintains church cohesion, holding diverse members together, despite differences in background or opinion. Peace fosters meaningful relationships, allowing believers to interact harmoniously and more readily forgive one another. Paul highlights the fact that true unity requires ongoing commitment to peace. It calls for active cultivation and promotion of peace among members.

A question to consider

How does St Paul’s teaching that peace is a fruit of the Spirit impact our daily interactions and relationships within our communities, especially where there is need for reconciliation or forgiveness?

Confession of Faith (St. Gregory of Narek)

The creed of the co-existing Holy Trinity, the rule of life and grace of salvation, I taught in the following way: We confess and profess, honor and worship the shared glory and unity of the Holy Trinity, Godhead beyond description, always good, of the same substance, equal in honor, beyond the flight of the wings of our thought, higher than all examples, beyond all analogies, surpassing the limits on high. Before the creation of eternal undifferentiated matter and the categories of creatures with blessing that cannot be translated, crowned forever with the richest greatness, setting time in motion and all that has taken shape as time unfolds, himself the cause and shaper of everything visible and invisible, who cannot be defined by name or denoted by label, nor likened in quality, nor weighed in quantity, nor formed by rules, nor known by kind, nor spread to exhaustion, nor occupying space, nor appearing in a place.

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