Vatican City, 22 January 2014 (VIS) –
Pope Francis dedicated the catechesis of this Wednesday's general
audience to the Prayer Week for Christian Unity, which ends next
Saturday, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul. It is a spiritual
initiative in which Christian communities have participated for over
one hundred years, and is a time dedicated to prayer for the unity of
all baptised persons, in accordance with Christ's will “that they
may all be one”. Every year an ecumenical group from one region in
the world, under the guidance of the Ecumenical Council of Churches
and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, suggests
the theme and prepares the activities for the Prayer Week. This year
the initiatives will be prepared by the Churches and Ecclesiastical
Communities of Canada, who have proposed the question posed by St.
Paul to the Christians of Corinth: “Is Christ divided?”
“No, Christ is not divided”, said
the Holy Father. “But we must recognise sincerely, although with
suffering, that our communities continue to experience divisions,
which are a scandal. There is no other word for it: the divisions
between Christians are a scandal”. Evoking the words of St. Paul,
he added, “Each one of you is saying, 'I am of Paul', and 'I of
Apollos', and 'I of Cephas', and 'I of Christ'. Even those who named
Christ as their leader were not applauded by Paul, because they used
Christ's name to separate themselves from others within the Christian
community. But the name of Christ creates communion and unity, not
division! Baptism and the Cross are central elements in our common
Christian discipleship. Divisions, on the other hand, weaken the
credibility and effectiveness of our commitment to evangelization”.
In his Letter, the Apostle rebukes the
Corinthians for their divisions, but also gives thanks to the Lord
because the community has been enriched in Jesus Christ, “in all
speech and all knowledge”. “These words are not a simple
formality, but rather the sign that first and foremost he sees God's
gifts to the community, for which he is sincerely joyful. In spite of
the suffering of divisions, which unfortunately persist to this day,
we welcome Paul's words as an invitation to rejoice sincerely in the
grace conceded by God to other Christians. We have experienced the
same baptism, the same Holy Spirit has bestowed grace upon us, so let
us rejoice!”.
“It is good to recognise the grace
with which God blesses us and, moreover, to find in other Christians
something which we need, something we can receive as a gift from our
brothers and sisters”, continued the Bishop of Rome. The Canadian
group which has prepared this Prayer Week has not invited the
communities to think about what they might give to their Christian
neighbours, but rather has exhorted us to encounter one another to
understand what all communities can receive from time to time from
the others. This requires something more. It requires humility,
reflection and continual conversion. Let us follow this path, praying
for Christian unity and an end to this scandal”, he concluded.
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