Every year, Catholics and members of other Churches come together to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity which this year would be marked from January 18 to 25, 2024.
The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an annual ecumenical celebration. Christians around the world in Ghana are invited to pray for the unity of all Christians, to reflect on scripture together, to participate in jointly-organized ecumenical services, and to share fellowship.
The Week helps Christians to express the degree of communion already given to the Churches, and to pray together that we may be more fully united in the one Christ.
The worldwide theme for the celebration in 2024 is: “You shall love the Lord your God… and your neighbor as yourself.” (Luke 10:27).
According to the United States of Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), the theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity in 2024 was selected by the Pontifical Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity, the World Council of Churches, and the Christian Churches in Burkina Faso, coordinated by the community of Chemin Neuf, a French Catholic and ecumenical community of vowed and lay people and its local community in Burkina Faso.
The theme, taken from the Gospel of Luke, reflects the connection between love of God and love of neighbor with a particular concern for challenging the boundaries of who is considered “neighbor”. In this pericope, Jesus is questioned as to the path to eternal life. His answer is not to only observe the commandments, but to also imitate the love of God in the giving of self for another. It is a call for charity, mercy, justice, and unity.
In Ghana, it is jointly marked every year by the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Christian Council of Ghana. The two groups jointly come out with a common booklet as a guide for the celebration. The booklet usually includes biblical references, reflections and prayers for each day of the week.
Churches and Christians may incorporate material from the week of prayer into their own services and weekdays during the week-long celebration. Communities which observe the week of prayer in their worship for each day during the week may also draw material for the services from the eight days.
Those who wish to pray privately may find the material helpful for focusing on their prayer intentions. However, they are cautioned that they are in communion with others praying all around the world for greater visible unity of Christ’s Church.
When does it take place?
In the northern hemisphere, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is traditionally held every year between January 18th (the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Peter) and January 25th (the Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul). Meaning that it is usually marked between the weeks of 18th to 25th of January. However, in the southern hemisphere, it is often celebrated during the Pentecost season.
Why does it matter to us as Catholics?
In the Gospel of John, Christ prays for his disciples before going to the cross. He asks that his followers “may all be one,” as He and the Father are one, “so that the world may believe” and have life in his name (John 17).
Christian unity is here made central to the very being of the church and to its mission and witness. Today, Christians and non-Christians live with divisions even as we yearn for the unity promised and commissioned by Christ.
The long and often painful history of Christianity has sundered our Churches for theological, liturgical, and political reasons. Many Christians now strive to heal these divisions, yet honour our diversity, through ecumenical dialogue, common action, and relationship-building. They also come together to pray for unity, joining Christ in his prayer to the Father.
The worldwide celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is both the seed and the fruit of this striving for ‘unity in diversity’. This time of shared prayer, reflection, and fellowship invites Christians of different traditions to deepen our relationships and to live and witness together throughout the year.
In Ghana for example, the Ghana Catholic Bishops’ Conference (GCBC) and the Christian Council of Ghana (CCG) every year in the month of May organise an Ecumenical Service. If the GCBC hosts, a Bishop or Moderator of one of the Churches of the CCG preaches and if CCG hosts, a Catholic Bishop preaches.
They meet to deliberate on issues that would enhance and foster inter-religious dialogue as well as address issues of national and international concern. After such meeting and Ecumenical Service, the GCBC and CCG issue a joint Communique.
Yes, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is almost around the corner (January 18 to 25, 2024) but the multi-dollar questions are: How are Catholic Churches in Ghana preparing to mark the Week jointly with other Churches around their various communities? Do all Parishes ensure the celebration in the spirit of ecumenism and Christian unity? How do Priests involve themselves in this celebration? How are Committees in charge of planning resourced by their Parish Priests to organise the Week?
If the Week is celebrated together well, i believe Christian Churches in Ghana would surely work towards avoiding divisions within their fold, which is one of the most serious problems a Church could ever face.
As a matter of fact, divisions can devastate the Church’s fellowship, the Church’s worship, the Church’s mission and witness to the world unless it is solved quickly. Divisions are indeed caused by the believers who form “cliques” around certain people in the Church.
To achieve Christian unity, the Christendom must not seek to glorify themselves by receiving the praise and adoration of people, avoid verbal accusations, power struggles, envy, grumbling, complaining, murmuring, quarrelling and gossiping.
The introduction of ethnic groups in the Church although began with very good intention is also gradually bringing disunity in Churches while every fabric of the society had become polluted by politics therefore making the Church to gradually loose focus.
The ministry and mission of the church cannot effectively go on until the people of God stand together. We have to understand that Christians are being watched by those outside the Church. I vividly think when we become angry and divided, we are not only robbed of our joy, we are robbed of our effectiveness.
How can we call the world to unity when we remain disunited. He is a Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist, Baptist, Pentecostal etc. It is time our Churches take the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity very serious so that they are not divided because Christians have one mission and message that is “to go ye therefore into all the world to preach the gospel, baptizing them in the name of the father, son and Holy Spirit.”
By Damian Avevor
