As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity comes to an end, Pope Francis reflects on the ‘indispensable unity’ that results from abiding in Jesus, in a speech read by Cardinal Kurt Koch.
By Christopher Wells
On Monday, the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, an ecumenical Vespers service concluded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The annual event took place as usual in the Basilica of St Paul’s Outside the Walls, where the great apostle was buried. This year, however, Pope Francis, who would normally preside over the liturgy, was unable to attend due to a painful attack on the sciatica. In his place, Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Papal Council for the Advancement of Christian Unity, led the evening prayer service, accompanied by leaders of various other Christian churches and denominations.
Although physically absent, Pope Francis was present in spirit and in word present through a proverb read by Cardinal Koch. In his prepared remarks, Pope Francis reflects on Jesus’ words from the Gospel of John: “Abide in me,” the theme of the Week of Prayer. Starting with the image of the vine and the branches, the pope insists that “we can only grow and bear fruit if we remain united with Jesus.”
Three levels of unity
The Holy Father henceforth regards ‘this indispensable unity’ as consisting of three concentric rings ‘like that of a tree trunk’.
The first level of unity is stay in Jesus, “The starting point of each person’s journey to unity.” Staying with Jesus begins with prayer, which enables us to experience His love. “This is the first unity,” says the pope, “our personal integrity, the work of grace we receive by abiding in Jesus.”
Unity among Christians is the second ring. “We are all branches of the same vine,” says the pope, noting that what each one does affects everyone else. Here, too, prayer is essential, leading us to love one another. The pope admits that it is not easy, and therefore we must ask God “to trim our prejudices against others and on the worldly attachment that stands in the way of full unity with all his children.”
The largest circle extends to all mankind; and here, says Pope Francis, “we can reflect on the working of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit leads us to love not only those we love, but also all, as Jesus taught us. Like the Good Samaritan, we are called to be neighbor to all, to love even those we do not love in return.
The concreteness of love
Working together to serve others can help us to ‘realize once again that we are brothers and sisters’, and we can ‘grow in unity’. The Holy Spirit can also inspire us ‘to look after our common home, to make courageous choices’ about how we live our lives.
Pope Francis concludes his hymn with the remark that it is the Holy Spirit, ‘the architect of the ecumenical journey’, who inspired the joint prayer in the Basilica of St. Paul. He expressed his gratitude to “all who have prayed during the week and continue to pray for Christian unity,” and greets the representatives of the churches and church communities participating in the ceremony, whether personally or in fact as a result of the pandemic.
“Dear brothers and sisters, may we remain united in Christ,” Pope Francis concluded, praying, “May the Holy Spirit be poured out in our hearts to make us feel that we are children of the Father, brothers and sisters of one another. , brothers and sisters in our one human family.
“May the Holy Trinity, community of love, cause us to grow in unity.”