I never had a very high view of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. I have just read some of the teaching material on the unity of the Church offered by The Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and had a change of mind.
The traditional date for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is 18-25 January. Those dates were proposed to cover the days between the feast of St Peter and the feast of St Paul, and therefore have a symbolic meaning. In the southern hemisphere churches often find other days to celebrate the week of prayer, for example around Pentecost which is also a symbolic date for the unity of the church.
This year the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity “brings together two themes, two invitations extended to Christian Churches and people: to pray and strive together for Christian unity, and to join together in responding to human suffering. These two responsibilities are deeply intertwined. Both relate to healing the Body of Christ (the Church), hence the principal text chosen for this year’s week of prayer is a story of healing.”
January 18: In the beginning was the Word. “And God said…” (Genesis 1).
January 19: The Saving Word of Christ. “He makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak” (Mark 7: 31-37).
January 20: The Holy Spirit gives us the Word. “The Spirit …will testify on my behalf” (John 15: 26).
January 21: The silence of the forgotten and the cries of the suffering. “If one member suffers all suffer together” (1 Corinthians 12: 26).
January 22: God’s judgment on our silence. “Just as you did not do it to one of the least of these…” (Matthew 25: 45).
January 23: Empowered to speak out. “But the woman … came in fear and trembling … and told Him the whole truth” (Mark 5: 33).
January 24: Forsakenness. “Why are You so far from helping me?” (Psalm 22:1)
January 25: Resurrection – glorification. “Every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord” (Philippians 2:11).
This Vatican website is one non-stop online bible study. The pope is an evangelical. But you all knew that already. Once again, I am the last one to realise, aren’t I?
