Many of us Christians observed the eight days from 18 to 25 January as a time of special prayer that all Christians may be one with our Lord and with one another, joined in faith and love. This year’s octave of Prayer for Christian Unity marked its 100th anniversary of its inception. It was Fr Paul Wattson, founder of the Society of the Atonement who started it a century ago.

In one of his sermons Father Wattson strongly pointed out the relevance of Christian unity. “Is Church unity a visionary dream? Will the prayer of the Son of God never be answered? Was He a lying prophet when He foretold the time of its fulfilment, saying: ‘Other sheep I have, which are not of this fold, them also I must bring and there shall be one fold and one Shepherd.’ [Jn.10:16]

“Our answer is, God’s will is omnipotent; the fiat of the Most High must prevail; the prayer of Jesus Christ has got to be answered; the Almighty Father would never refuse the dying request of His only begotten Son; sooner or later every petition of Christ will inevitably be granted. Were the mountains of difficulty to be surmounted a thousand times higher and vaster than they are, God is able to cast them into the sea. Faith serenely rests her case with Him”.

The heart of Fr Wattson’s plea for Christian unity is to be found in prayer. In fact, Vatican II’s Decree on Ecumenism highly stresses that unity among Christians is mainly to be sought in the liberating and clarifying power of prayer. “This change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name, ‘spiritual ecumenism’”.

Prayer is the result of the change of heart and holiness of life. We as Christians have to stop seeing ourselves as rivals for the truth. Truth absorbs us, not us the truth. And since “the Spirit is the truth” (1 Jn 5, 7) he will continue to unravel to us, divided Christians, our sin of division in order for us not only to repent from it but seek new ways of establishing that unity which is so willed by Christ. Working collaboratively to alleviate the suffering is a very tangible way of repenting by knitting the bonds of unity among us through charity. Where our doctrinal beliefs divide charity unites.

Father, in Jesus’ name, through the Holy Spirit, let all those who believe in your Son be of one accord, as you Father are of one accord with your Beloved Son in the Spirit. Amen.

Fr Mario Attard OFM Cap

San Gwann