Office for Christian Unity
Thursday 16 May 2024
Meditation
We continue to read texts by Fr François Varillon.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit, third Person of the Trinity. […] It is the very Spirit who animates the life of Jesus who is given to us. We can only imitate Jesus in and through the Spirit. It is the same Spirit who made him a being-for, for God and for mankind, and it is this Spirit who is given to us so that our own being may also become a being-for, that is, so that we may live in charity. For me, this is the essential point.
The Holy Spirit is so essential to everything that we must be careful not to make a category of it. We can speak of Christology or Pneumatology to help people understand things. But, basically, Pentecost is the culmination of the Paschal Mystery; the mystery of Pentecost is at the very heart of the Paschal Mystery. Everything, absolutely everything, that we used to call God’s plan and the whole life of the Christian exist with a view to the gift of the Spirit. It is the gift of the Spirit that sums it all up.
We had somewhat forgotten Saint Paul’s words: we can only say that Jesus is Lord in the Spirit and that the Spirit prays in us, that he makes us say “Abba, Father”. Our whole relationship with God is marked by the Spirit.
François Varillon, ‘Beauté du monde et souffrance des hommes’, Le Centurion, 1980, pp. 332-334
Intercessions
Prepared by the brothers and sisters of Montagnieu
To be adapted according to your location
In Montagnieu, the Siloam mission has been working for 25 years to promote personal unity and reconciliation by proposing a process of re-reading one’s history. It also exists in several countries where the Chemin Neuf Community is established.
Lord, send your Spirit of truth and charity so that these places may bear witness to your mercy in this suffering world.
On 28 April, the ceremony of blessing and installation of Sr Anne as the new prioress of the Protestant community of the Deaconesses of Reuilly took place in Versailles.
Thank you Lord for the great ecumenical openness and radiance of this Community. Come and bless Sr Anne, grant her wisdom and discernment for the leadership of the Community. Strengthen each sister in her monastic vocation.
The Orthodox Churches celebrate Easter on 05 May. In 2025, the date of Easter will be the same for all Christian denominations.It will also be the 1700th anniversary of the 1st Ecumenical Council in Nicaea.
Thank you Lord for the beauty, depth and richness of the spirituality of the Eastern Churches. Lord, send your Spirit of unity to lead the different Christian confessions towards a real reconciled diversity.