As the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity ends, Pope Francis reflects on the “indispensable unity” of remaining 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 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 sciatica attack. In his place, Cardinal Kurt Koch, president of the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of Christian Unity, led the evening prayer service, accompanied by leaders of several other Christian churches and ecclesial communities.
Although he did not physically exist, Pope Francis was present in spirit and word, through a homily read by Cardinal Koch. In his prepared statements, Pope Francis reflects on the words of Jesus in the Gospel of St. John: “Sleep in me,” the theme of this year’s Week of Prayer. Starting with 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 continues to consider that “this indispensable unit” consists of three concentric rings “like those of a tree trunk.”
The first level of unity is reside in Jesus, “The starting point of each person’s journey to unity.” Living with Jesus begins with prayer, which allows us to experience His love. “This is the first unity,” says the Pope, “of our personal integrity, the work of grace we receive in remaining in Jesus.”
Unity among Christians is the second ring. “We are all branches of the same vineyard,” says the Pope, noting that what everyone does affects everyone else. Again, prayer is essential and leads us to love one another. This is not easy, the Pope admits, and that is why we must ask God to “put our prejudices against others and worldly notes that hinder full unity with all his children.”
The largest circle extends to all of humanity; and here, says Pope Francis, “we can reflect on the workings of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit leads us to love not only those who love us, “but to love all, as Jesus taught us.” Like the Good Samaritan, we are called to be neighbors of everyone, to love even those who do not love us in return.
The concretion of love
Joining us to serve others can help us “realize once again that we are brothers and sisters” and can lead us to “grow in unity”. In the same way, the Holy Spirit can inspire us to “care for our common home, to make bold decisions” about how we live our lives.
Pope Francis concludes his homily by pointing out that it is the Holy Spirit, “the architect of the ecumenical journey”, who inspired the joint prayer in St. Paul’s Basilica. He expressed his gratitude to “all those who in the course of this week have prayed and continue to pray for Christian unity,” and greeted the representatives of the Churches and ecclesial communities participating in the ceremony, either in person or practically due to the pandemic.
“Dear brothers and sisters, may we remain united in Christ,” Pope Francis concludes, praying, “May the Holy Spirit poured out in our hearts make us feel that we are children of the Father, brothers and sisters of one another, brothers and sisters of our only human family.
“May the Holy Trinity, communion of love, make us grow in unity.”