At the end of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Pope Francis reflects on the “indispensable unity” that comes from staying in Jesus, in a homily read by Cardinal Kurt Koch.
By Christopher Wells
On Monday, the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, an ecumenical service on Vespers concluded the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
The annual event took place, as usual, in the Basilica of St. Paul 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, President of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, led the evening prayer, accompanied by leaders from several other Christian churches and ecclesial communities.
Although physically absent, Pope Francis was present in spirit and in word, through a homily read by Cardinal Koch. In his prepared words, Pope Francis reflects on Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Saint John: “Stay with me”, the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer. From the image of the vine and the branches, the Pope insists that “we can only grow and bear fruit if we remain united to Jesus”.
Three levels of unity
The Holy Father starts to consider “this indispensable unit” as consisting of three concentric rings “like those on a tree trunk”.
The first level of unity is abiding in Jesus, “The starting point of each person’s path towards unity”. Staying with Jesus begins with prayer, which allows us to experience His love. “This is the first unit,” says the Pope, “our personal integrity, the work of grace that we receive by staying in Jesus”.
Unity among Christians it’s the second ring. “We are all branches of the same vine,” says the Pope, recalling that what each one does affects everyone else. Here again, prayer is essential, leading us to love one another. It is not easy, the Pope admits, and that is why we must ask God “to remove our prejudices towards others and the worldly attachments that prevent full unity with all his children”.
The largest circle extends to all of humanity; and here, says Pope Francis, “we can reflect on the operation of the Holy Spirit”. The Holy Spirit leads us to love not only those who love us, “but to love everyone, just as Jesus taught us”. Like the Good Samaritan, we are called to be neighbors to everyone, to love even those who do not love us.
The concreteness of love
Uniting to serve others can help us “realize once again that we are brothers and sisters” and lead us “to grow in unity”. Likewise, the Holy Spirit can inspire us to “take care of our common home, to make bold choices” about how we live our lives.
Pope Francis concludes his homily by noting that it was the Holy Spirit, “the architect of the ecumenical journey”, who inspired the joint prayer in the Basilica of São Paulo. He expresses his gratitude to “all those who throughout the week have prayed and continue to pray for Christian unity” and greeted the representatives of the churches and ecclesial communities who participated in the ceremony, whether in person or virtually due to the pandemic.
“Dear brothers and sisters, may we remain united in Christ,” concludes Pope Francis, praying: “May the Holy Spirit poured into our hearts make us feel that we are children of the Father, brothers and sisters to one another, brothers and sisters. and sisters in our only human family.
“May the Most Holy Trinity, a communion of love, make us grow in unity.”