Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025 – Day 1: The fatherhood and motherhood of God who rules the universe.

WEEK OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY

Introduction

At the heart of our reflections for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
is the question posed by Jesus to Martha: ‘Do you believe this?’ (John 11:26).

This same question resonated throughout the deliberations of the first Ecumenical
Council, meeting in Nicaea in 325, which gathered Christian communities from
around the world to strengthen their relationships as the Church of Jesus Christ.
Reflecting on these moments we are reminded that the gift of our faith brings
both support and challenge.

This year the ecumenical celebration has been prepared by the community of Bose,
an ecumenical monastery of brothers and sisters in northern Italy. In Bose, community life
is shaped by the rhythm of regular prayer. As the bells call the sisters, brothers and guests to prayer,
they all assemble at the church.

As we celebrate 1,700 years since the Council of Nicaea, this material has at its heart,
the Nicene Creed.

Day 1: The fatherhood and motherhood of God who rules the universe.
Day 2: Creation as God’s work.
Day 3: The Incarnation of the Son.
Day 4: The Paschal Mystery: Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus.
Day 5: The Holy Spirit, breath of God.
Day 6: The Church: Community of believers.
Day 7: Baptism into the Death and Resurrection of the Lord.
Day 8: Waiting for the Kingdom.

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18 Jan
Day 1: The fatherhood and motherhood of God who rules the universe.

Prayer

We bless you, O Lord, Father of lights:
from you descends every good thing and every perfect gift.
You have made the world and all that it contains,
you are the Lord of heaven and earth.
You created all the peoples that dwell on the earth.
For them you established the order of time and the boundaries of their space.
In the heart of human beings, you have placed the depth of eternity.
Rebirth in us that unity that our selfishness has fractured
in your Church and in the one world around us.

Readings:
Genesis 1:1-5
Psalm 148:1-14
Romans 8:19-23