During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,[1] we are invited to focus on the theme found in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. This epistle is one of his socalled prison letters, and in it, he exhorts all those who listen to his message to be credible witnesses to their faith through the unity among them.
This unity is based on one faith, one spirit and one hope and it is the only means of witnessing to Christ’s followers as his “body.”
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.
So, Paul calls us back to hope. But what is hope and why are we invited to live it? It is not only a seed that develops but also a gift that we can protect, cultivate and bring to fruition for the good of all. ‘Christian hope sets us upon a narrow mountain ridge that is like a frontier where our vocation asks that we choose to be faithful to God’s faithfulness to us every day and every hour.’ [2].
Our vocation, the call to be Christian, is not just an individual matter between each person and God; it is a ‘convocation’, being called together. It is the call to unity among those who are committed to living the Gospel. In Chiara Lubich’s talks and writings, we often find explicit references to unity as an integral part of her spirituality. It is the fruit of Jesus’ presence among us and this presence is the source of profound happiness.
‘If unity is so important for Christians, then failing to achieve it must be contrary to their vocation. We sin against unity every time we give in to the continual temptation of individualism, which pushes us to do things alone, guided by our own judgement, interests, or personal prestige, and to ignore or even despise others, their needs, and their rights. [3]
There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.
In Guatemala, there is great collaboration and dialogue between members of different Christian Churches.
Ramiro writes, “People from different Churches worked together to organise the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. The programme included an arts festival that young people helped to initiate and various celebrations in different churches. This was so successful that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference asked us to continue this initiative in preparation for a gathering with Catholic bishops and believers from many Churches who were travelling from across the Americas for a conference commemorating the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. It’s not only during these special activities but whenever we come together I feel we always experience a strong sense of unity among us all and the fruits that it brings: fraternity, joy, and peace.”
Edited by Patricia Mazzola & the Word of Life Team
[1] Celebrated 18-25 Jan in the northern hemisphere & at the time of Pentecost in the southern hemisphere. For 2026, the prayers and reflections have been prepared by the faithful of the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with their brothers and sisters of the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches
[2] Madeleine Delbrêl, https://www.pasomv.it/files/bocc/madalein_del_brel_noi_spes.pdf .
[3] C. Lubich, Word of Life, July 1985
© Photo: RÜŞTÜ BOZKUŞ – Pixabay – Lago di Iznik – Turchia
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