The "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity"

An Annual Historical Occasion Between 18 and 25 January, What is its Significance?

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated annually during eight days of daily Prayers worldwide. It is an historic annual ritual which extends between 18 and 25 January in the global Christian calendar, in the Northern part of the world. As for the Southern part, people are in holidays during this period, therefore Churches celebrate the Week of Prayer around Pentecost.

A unity our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for and entrusted us with as he said: “that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.” (John 17:21)

The week of prayer carries with it profound Christian and theological meanings through which Christians move on their annual ecumenical journey. Setting a date for the week itself has a special significance, turning it into a Christian tradition that started in 1908. January 18 reminds us of the Chair of St. Peter the Apostle with which come united prayers to build bridges and strengthen fraternity among all Christians. January 25, however, refers to the feast of the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle, the end of the week of unity, thus a call to continue praying for unity throughout the year.

Chair of St. Peter the Apostle

“You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” (Matthew 16:18). With these words, the Lord Jesus addressed Peter, entrusting him with the message of the good news, to be the head of the apostles and the sign for their unity. Despite all his mistakes, Christ entrusted him with a noble mission, translated into serving the unity of the Church and the consolidation of fraternity in faith.

Peter, "the Chief of the apostles", was a simple fisherman. He denied Christ three times, but he regretted it and repented. After the apostles dispersed to preach throughout the world, Peter remained in Jerusalem and Judea to continue his preaching, despite what he faced of fatigue and torment there.

In the year 35 or 36, Peter moved to Antioch where he established his chair and continued his evangelization as the head of the Church until the year 42. In the year 43, he went to Rome and moved with him his See, inspired by God. He entrusted St. Odeus to be his successor over the Church of Antioch.

Peter was imprisoned twice defending the word of Truth. After the angel of the Lord saved him the first time, Nero sentenced him the second time to be crucified. He asked to crucify his head down. He was martyred in 67 AD in Rome and his body was placed in the Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican City.

Conversion of Saint Paul the Apostle

The feast of the conversion of St. Paul the Apostle is celebrated as a sign of Christians recognition of the greatness of divine grace transmitted and overflowed where sin abounds. Paul was a Jew and Pharisee of the tribe of Benjamin, who persecuted the Church of God and fought the name of Jesus Chris. He witnessed the stoning of Stephen and guarded the clothes of the men stoning him.

His greatness was known through the story of his amazing conversion on the Damascus Road, where he had a vision that led to the loss of his eyesight. A great light shone upon him from heaven, and Jesus Christ appeared and spoke to him, helping him realize that Christ had risen from the dead, contrary to his beliefs.

From that time on, Paul believed in Christ and regained his sight after being baptized by Ananias, to become herald of the word of Truth and godfather for the consolidation of the Christian faith around the world.

The apostles Peter and Paul are an example of the path of complete unity Christians seek today. Their prayers, during the “Week of Prayer for Christian Unity”, bridges the distance among them. Hence, it is necessary to recall what the St. Paul the apostle recommended: “I urge you to walk with humility, meekness, and longsuffering, enduring one another in love, striving to preserve the oneness of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

Pentecost

It is the day of the founding and birth of the Church, the day on which it was entrusted with its mission: a community of missionaries and witnesses. The disciples accepted the word of the Lord with great joy to preach it around the world in one language, the language of God... It is the day of Pentecost, the memory of the coming of the Holy Spirit on the apostles who were gathered with the Mother of God in Zion, Jerusalem, following the ascension of Jesus Christ into the heart of the Heavenly Father.

Church families celebrate this divine event fifty days after Easter, each according to its rite and belief. According to Acts 2: 1-11 "And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim…" With the Pentecost, the Church ends the third stage of the New Testament. The first would be the stage from the Annunciation to the Cross, the second, from the Cross to the Resurrection, and the third, from the Resurrection through the Ascension to the Pentecost.

The conversion of St. Paul the Apostle

As for St. Paul the Apostle, he celebrates his conversion feast as a sign of Christians' recognition of the greatness of the divine grace that overflows where sin abounds. Paul was a Jewish Pharisee from the tribe of Benjamin, who persecuted the Church of God and fought against the name of Jesus.

His greatness was known through the story of his wondrous retreat on the road to Damascus, where he saw a vision that led to his loss of sight. So, a great light shone on him from heaven, and Jesus Christ appeared to him, speaking to him, so that Paul realized that Christ had risen from the dead, contrary to what he thought.

Since that time, Paul believed in Christ and regained his sight after being baptized by Ananias, to become a herald of the word of truth and a godfather to consolidate the Christian faith in all parts of the earth.

So the apostles Peter and Paul are an example of the path of complete unity that Christians seek today. From here, it is necessary to recall what the Apostle Paul recommended: “I ask you to walk with all humility, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another in love, striving to preserve the unity of spirit in the bond of peace.”

Pentecost

As for the feast of Pentecost, it is the feast of the founding and birth of the Church, the day on which its mission was entrusted to it: a missionary group and a witness, and the disciples accepted the word of the Lord with great joy to preach it to all ends of the earth and in one language, the language of God... It is the feast of Pentecost, the memory of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles Who were meeting with the Mother of God in the upper room of Zion, Jerusalem, following the ascension of Jesus Christ to the bosom of the Heavenly Father.

Church families celebrate this divine event fifty days after Easter, each of them according to their ritual and belief. According to the book of the Apostles 1: 2-11 “He spoke a voice from the sky as a strong wind that regretted it” and filled all the house that included all the Apostles at the time, to show them the tongues of fire, divided by one of them, as if it is from one of them, so it is from one of them. And they began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them utterance...". With the event of Pentecost, then, the third stage in the Church culminates in the New Testament, so that the first stage extends from the Annunciation to the Cross, the second from the Cross to the Resurrection, and the third from the Resurrection through the Ascension to Pentecost.

MECC Communication and Public Relations Department