Focolare Movement

The Prayer for Unity

Oct 26, 2018

“Unity” is the word which the Focolare tries to bear witness to and announce with its own life. A comment on the biblical text by the theologian Pasquale Foresi (1929-2015), co-founder of the Focolare Movement.

Archival photo: Pasquale Foresi with the young people of the Focolare Movement.

The prayer for unity is found in the seventeenth chapter of St John’s Gospel. Chiara Lubich saw the words of that prayer as her mission in life, which she immediately shared with her first companions. We publish a 1979 commentary by Fr Pasquale Foresi. That they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me” (Jn 17:21). “That they may all be one.” This phrase is the continuation of a previous one in which Jesus also prays for those who would believe him through the words of the apostles. It is the Word that makes us one, and of one mind through the unifying power of the Word that is Christ. The Word of God will continue, down through the centuries, through diverse cultures, continuing to make those who accept it one. Another feature of the unity brought about by the Word is this: Whereas in any school of philosophy the disciple must never stray from the fundamental intuitions of the master, Christian unity is a vital activity. It is unity of mind and heart, it is family. That all may be one. This word “all” points to the most absolute and widest universality with no exceptions [. . .]. In this verse, the word “all” is linked to the word “one”. These are the two striking features of the Church: universality (catholicity) and unity. Paul affirms this Christian calling to unity when he writes to the Ephesians: “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all” (Eph 4:3-6). Pasquale Foresi, Luce che si incarna. Commento ai 12 punti della spiritualità dell’unità, (Rome: Città Nuova Editrice, 2014) 131.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

What’s UP? Let’s get started!

What’s UP? Let’s get started!

Welcome to What’s UP?, a new format offered by the Focolare Movement that brings us closer together and makes us feel more and more like a family.

A prize for Run4Unity

A prize for Run4Unity

The international relay race that the Teens for Unity organize every year on the first Sunday of May, during the “United World Week”, has won the #BeActive EU Sport Awards.

From Caracas (Venezuela): solidarity becomes tangible

From Caracas (Venezuela): solidarity becomes tangible

Several days have passed since the earthquakes in Venezuela that caused the collapse of 770 buildings.At the moment the official figures report more than 1,400 victims, thousands injured and it is estimated that the number of missing persons may reach 50,000. Rescue teams have arrived from many countries and are racing against time to find survivors beneath the rubble. Here follows the news received from the Focolare communities in Caracas which have mobilized to meet the multiple needs arising from this tragedy while a network of solidarity network has sprung into action.