Each year, the eight days from Jan. 18, the feast of when Peter gave his first sermon in Rome, until Jan. 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, are observed as the International Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This observance, which began among Protestant Christians, was joined by Catholic Christians and over time has become a yearly reminder of the need for unity among Jesus’s followers.
So much did Jesus want this unity, He prayed to His Father for it at the Last Supper. Even in His final hours with His disciples before being arrested, beaten and crucified, His thoughts were on the challenges that would come for His followers to remain together in faith and practice.
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me” (Jn 17: 20-21).
With these words, Jesus showed us that Christian unity is not simply something external that we achieve among ourselves and by our own efforts. It is, rather, an essential element of God’s plan and of the faith that Jesus entrusted to the Church. When Jesus says that we are to be one as the Father and Jesus are one, He calls us to a depth of conformity in our hearts and souls and in our minds and actions, with the truth that comes from the very nature of God.
Satan, too, recognized the importance of unity among the followers of Jesus. For that reason, history is filled with his work to divide believers, and so also the Church. For example, in 1054, the Latin Church and the Churches of the East became separated. During the 16th century, Western Christianity was divided in what is known as the Reformation. Elements of those divisions have lasted until the current day.
Over time, those divisions have hardened and deepened. Efforts have been undertaken to restore unity between churches and ecclesial communities. But misunderstandings, sinful interactions and deep hurts have prevented the full union that Jesus prayed for. And as the Second Vatican Council reminds us, all sides in these disputes share some of the blame for the resulting divisions (Unitatis Redintegratio, 3).
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity reminds us that at the heart of the search for unity is a search for the truth. It cannot be reduced to some form of human negotiation and compromise. Rather, we are seeking God’s will.
Further, as Catholics, we recognize that we bear a particular responsibility. As the Second Vatican Council also teaches, “the one Church of Christ … subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him, although many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside of its visible structure. These elements, as gifts belonging to the Church of Christ, are forces impelling toward catholic unity” (Lumen Gentium 8).
For this reason, we must witness to the fullness of the Church. We testify to the teaching of Jesus entrusted to the Catholic Church and protected by the Holy Spirit. We proclaim the True Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist, and His forgiveness in the sacrament of reconciliation. Peter and his successors have a role established by Jesus for the unity of faith. Other elements of faith of course must also be proclaimed by our Catholic faith. At the same time, we seek and respect the elements of sanctification and truth outside of the Catholic Church.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity reminds us of the great responsibility and mission each of us carries regarding Christian unity. We raise our minds and hearts this time of year, asking God for the grace to overcome sinfulness and division. May we all be one, as Jesus prayed.
