10/07/2016

Congregations encouraged to observe Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan 18-25, 2017

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY
JANUARY 18–25, 2017

On the occasion of the 500th anniversary year of the beginnings of the Reformation, the theme: "Reconciliation – The Love of Christ Compels Us" (2 Corinthians 5:14-20) has been chosen for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The materials for the 2017 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has two accents: reflection upon the main concerns of the churches marked by Martin Luther's Reformation and secondly recognizing the pain of the subsequent deep divisions which afflicted the unity of the Church. In selecting this theme, it is viewed as an opportunity to take steps toward reconciliation.

For the coming year the theme finds its origins in Pope Francis' 2013 Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium ("The Joy of the Gospel") when it used the quote: "The Love of Christ Compels Us" (Paragraph 9). The theme finds its scriptural context in 2 Corinthians. 5:14). The Council of Churches in Germany (ACK) took up the work of creating the resources for this year's Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. A committee comprised of ten members representing different churches met three times in 2014/2015 to develop the necessary texts. Within the 2017 materials there will be a particular emphasis on the ecumenical worship service for the Week while at the same time commemorating the Lutheran Reformation. 

For 2017, it should be noted that this biblical text emphasizes that reconciliation is a gift from God, intended for the entire creation. "God was reconciling the world (kosmos) to God's self in Christ, not counting people's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation" (v.19). As a result of God's action, those who have been reconciled in Christ are called in turn to proclaim this reconciliation in word and deed: "The love of Christ compels us." 

The traditional period in the northern hemisphere for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is January 18-25. Those dates were proposed in 1908 by Servant of God, Fr. Paul Wattson, SA Founder of the Society of the Atonement, to cover the original days of the feasts of the Chair of St. Peter (January 18) and the Conversion of St. Paul (January 25) , and therefore have a symbolic significance. 

Materials for the celebration in the United States of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2017 are prepared by the staff of the Graymoor Ecumenical and Interreligious Institute and are available online by clicking HERE.

(The above information was originally published on the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute website: www.Geii.org)