As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity draws to a close, Pope Francis reflects in a sermon read by Cardinal Kurt Koch on the “indispensable unity” that comes from remaining in Jesus.
By Christopher Wells
On Monday, the feast of Saint Paul’s conversion, an ecumenical Vespers service concluded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The annual event took place, as usual, in St. Paul’s Basilica Outside the Walls, where the great apostle is buried. This year, however, Pope Francis, who would normally preside over the liturgy, was unable to attend due to a painful attack of sciatica. In his place, Cardinal Kurt Koch, chairman of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, led the evening prayer, accompanied by leaders of several other Christian churches and ecclesial communities.
Although physically absent, Pope Francis was present in spirit and word, through a sermon 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 this year’s Week of Prayer. Starting with the image of the vine and branches, the Pope emphasizes that “we can only grow and bear fruit if we remain united with Jesus.”
Three levels of unity
The Holy Father goes on to regard “this indispensable unity” as consisting of three concentric rings “like that of a tree trunk.”
The first level of unity is abide in Jesus, “The starting point of each person’s journey to unity.” Staying with Jesus begins with prayer, through which we can experience his love. “This is the first unity,” says the Pope, “our personal integrity, the work of grace that 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 everyone does affects everyone else. Here, too, prayer is essential, causing us to love one another. This is not easy, the Pope admits, and so we must ask God to “cut away our prejudices against others and the worldly attachments that stand in the way of full unity with all His children.”
The largest circle extends to all humanity; and here Pope Francis says, “we can reflect on the working of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Ghost leads us to love not only those who love us, “but also to love everyone, as Jesus taught us.” Like the Good Samaritan, we are called to be neighbors, to love even those who do not love us.
The concreteness of love
By working together to serve others, we can “ re-realize that we are brothers and sisters ” and we can “ grow in unity. ” Likewise, the Holy Ghost can inspire us “to care for our common home, to make bold choices” about how we live our lives.
Pope Francis concludes his sermon by saying that it is the Holy Spirit, “the architect of the ecumenical journey,” who inspired the congregational prayer in St. Paul’s Basilica. He expresses his gratitude to “all who have prayed and continue to pray in the course this week for Christian unity,” and greeted the representatives of the churches and ecclesial communities participating in the ceremony, either in person or virtually thanks to the pandemic.
“Dear brothers and sisters, may we remain united in Christ,” Pope Francis concludes, praying, “May the Holy Spirit poured out into our hearts make us feel that we are children of the Father, brothers and sisters of one another, brothers and sisters and sisters in our one human family.
“May the Holy Trinity, fellowship of love, make us grow in unity.”