A reflection at the end of the week of prayer for Christian Unity
The following is taken from a Homily of Pope Francis during Mass at Temuco, Chile, on the 17th January, 2018.
“In the Gospel that we have just heard, Jesus prays to the Father ‘that they all be one’
Jn.17:21. At a crucial time in his own life, he stops to plea for unity. In his heart, he knows that one of the greatest threats for his disciples and for all mankind will be division and confrontation, the oppression of some by others. How many tears would be spilled! Today, we want to cling to this prayer of Jesus, to enter with him into his garden of sorrows with the sorrows of our own, and to ask the Father, with Jesus, that we too may be one. May confrontation and division never gain the upper hand among us.
The unity implored by Jesus is a gift that must be persistently sought, for the good of our land and its children. We need to be on our watch against temptations that may arise to ‘poison the roots’ of this great gift that God wants to give us, and with which he invites us to play a genuine role in history. What are those temptations? ”.
Question for Conference members:
Name two temptations.
Now read the rest of his Homily at : http://w2.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/homilies/2018/documents/papa-francesco_20180117_omelia-cile-temuco.html
“Kume tunngunta niemun” (Peace be with you !) Lk.24:36.
Joe Rigby, Spiritual Advisor for BC/Yukon
Member of the National Spiritual Committee
Spiritual-Reflection-February-2018