Office for Christian Unity
Thursday 22 February 2024
Meditation
Salvation is love (continued)
We will be listening to texts by Catherine and William Booth (founders of the Salvation Army) during Lent 2024.
Does your heart ache and your eyes water at the sight of men and women who ignore the Father’s love? Does your soul groan as you watch them abandon themselves to evil, going down the wide but dark road that leads to perdition? How many compassionate tears have you shed over this perishing world? How much productive work do you devote to the work of salvation? I know very well that, for most of you, the daily grind absorbs the best of your strength. But suppose you came home one evening to find your neighbour’s house in flames: forgetting your fatigue and the burden of the day, you would rush to the rescue of the lives threatened. In the same way, no matter how heavy the usual task, you should devote part of your strength to rescuing sinners, pulling them out of evil and ruin. That is why God gave his Son.
William Booth (quoted by Corinne Gossauer-Peroz in ‘Prier 15 jours avec William et Catherine BOOTH, fondateurs de l’Armée du Salut’, Ed. Nouvelle Cité, 2008, p. 50.
Intercessions
In union with our brothers and sisters of the Abbey of Melleray and in the deep desire for unity between our Churches, we turn to You, Lord, and we pray to You.
To be adapted according to your location
In March, at Melleray Abbey, there will be a week of training for Chemin Neuf novices on the theme of ecumenism.On this occasion, we would like to intercede for the various training courses run by the Community that focus on Christian unity.
Father, we believe that the prayer of your Son “That all may be one so that the world may believe” will one day be fulfilled. Come and renew us in our passion for unity and in the gift of our lives for the Unity of your People.
Earlier this month, the Archbishop of Paris, Mgr Laurent Ulrich, and the President of the Fédération Protestante de France, Pastor Christian Krieger, took part in the national tribute to the victims of the war between Israel and Hamas, and called for a break with the logic of hatred that is spreading to the four corners of the world.
Father, you who sent us Jesus, the Prince of Peace, we ask you to calm all hearts and open them to dialogue. May each of us see the other not as an enemy, but as a brother or sister.
The World Day of Prayer is a worldwide ecumenical movement initiated by Christian women at the end of the 19th century. It takes the form of a joint day of prayer on the first Friday in March in over 120 countries.
Father, we thank you for this commitment to prayer, witness and sharing. May your Holy Spirit stir our desire for unity and our efforts to be sentinels of the visible unity of the body of Christ.