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Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (Jan 25)

January 25, 2024

Fr. John Colacino C.PP.S.

Day 8 (January 25)

Call to Prayer (Moira Laidlaw)

In one Spirit we were all baptised into one body—Jews or Greeks,
slaves or free, indigenous people and later comers to this land.
The body does not consist of one member but of many.
If one member suffers, all suffer together with it;
if one member is honoured, all rejoice together with it.
We are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Baptised by the Spirit, we claim our membership of the body of Christ.

Confession (Moira Laidlaw)

We pray for forgiveness when our words and actions

are shaped and molded by other than the Holy Spirit..

For the times when we have used the gifts

of your Spirit to enhance our own glory

rather than using them to serve others. R/. Forgive us, O God.

When our use of your gifts has led to division and discord

rather than increasing understanding and unity. R/.

For believing one gift to be superior to another

rather than celebrating the various ways in which they complement each other

and build up the whole community. R/.

Hymn

Lord, who at thy first Eucharist did pray
That all thy Church might be forever one,
Grant us at ev'ry Eucharist to say
With longing heart and soul, "Thy will be done."
O may we all one bread, one body be,
Through this blest Sacrament of Unity.

For all thy Church, O Lord, we intercede;
Make thou our sad divisions soon to cease;
Draw us the nearer each, to each we plead,
By drawing all to thee, O Prince of Peace;
Thus may we all one bread, one body be,
Through this blest Sacrament of Unity.

We pray thee, too, for wand'rers from thy fold;
O bring them back, Good Shepherd of the sheep,
Back to the faith which saints believed of old,
Back to the Church which still that faith doth keep;
Soon may we all one bread, one body be,
Through this blest Sacrament of Unity.

So, Lord, at length when sacraments shall cease,
May we be one with all thy Church above,
One with thy saints in one unbroken peace,
One with thy saints in one unbounded love;
More blessed still in peace and love to be
One with the Trinity in Unity.

Collect (Chemin Neuf Community)

Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one,

we pray to you for the unity of Christians, according to your will,

according to your means.

May your Spirit enable us to experience the suffering caused by division,

to see our sin, and to hope beyond all hope. Amen.

Scripture. (Romans 12:9-13)

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Meditation

The worship befitting that kingdom, the worship demanded by justice, is a celebration that includes everyone, a feast in which gifts received are available to and shared by all. To take the first steps towards the promised land that is our unity, we must first of all recognize with humility that the blessings we have received are not ours by right, but have come to us as a gift; they were given to be shared with others. Then, we must acknowledge the value of the grace granted to other Christian communities. As a result, we will want to partake of the gifts of others. A Christian people renewed and enriched by this exchange of gifts will be a people capable of journeying firmly and confidently on the path that leads to unity. (Pope Francis; 2019)

Encircling Others with Prayer (Bruce Prewer)

Let your healing love be known this day by all who suffer ailment of body, or distress of mind, or agony of spirit. Loving God, bring wholeness to all.

Let your intimate love be known today by all who feel forgotten or lost, and all who are walking in the dark valley of despair. Loving God, bring wholeness to all.

Let your fierce love this day redress the wrongs of all who suffer exploitation, injustice, abuse, neglect, violence or unwarranted imprisonment. Loving God, bring wholeness to all.

Let your nurturing love today encourage those who are gathering resolve to make tough decisions, take on new responsibilities, or break free from some bondage. Loving God, bring wholeness to all.

Let your relentless love this day upset congregations that have become self-centred or even contemptuous of other churches. Loving God, bring wholeness to all.

Let your reconciling love today gather together the separated Christians, and make them aware of the fellowship and mission of the one, universal body of Christ. Loving God, bring wholeness to all.

Let your inspiring love this day rejuvenate pastors, priests and prophets who have become weary to the very roots of their souls. Loving God, bring wholeness to all.

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