Office for Christian Unity,
Thursday, October 27th, 2022
Meditation
Prayer of Patriarch Athenagoras
Every night I pray for Christian unity,
Every night, sometimes at midnight,
sometimes at four in the morning,
I go down to the garden,
I go to the narthex of the church.
I light two candles.
In front of the icon of the Mother of God.
And I pray for the union.
When will it happen?
When asked about the end of the world
Christ confesses his ignorance as a man:
“Only the Father knows.
He knows the time and the moments.
It is the same for the union.
The future is in God.
Our task is to make the time mature.
The union will come, it will be a miracle,
a new miracle in history.
When will it come? We must prepare for it.
For a miracle is like God: always imminent.
Intercessions
In union with our brothers and sisters of Hautecombe Abbey
To be used as appropriate
(Intercessory Chorus)
1 /This summer, during the weeks of the ‘Welcome to Paradise’ young adult festival at
Hautecombe Abbey, the Chemin Neuf Community worked with many speakers from
different denominations, including evangelical pastors from the Netherlands, and
Pentecostal pastors from Poland and Germany.
For next summer’s festival in Portugal, the young adult mission team is looking for
ways to continue this momentum and to live Christian unity at the heart of the
Catholic gathering of World Youth Day (WYD).
Thank you Lord for the joy of being in mission together, beyond our denominational
boundaries. Come and inspire new paths of unity for the festival and the propositions
of the Community during World Youth Day.
.
(Intercessory Chorus)
2/ This year, in Chambéry (Savoy), our Baptist brothers and sisters are running the
Cana Welcome course for couples in their evangelical church.
Thank you Lord for the openness of the pastor and of the Baptist church who welcome
a mission from outside their own church. Come and guide our brothers and sisters in
all the discernments and adaptations to be made, so that this sharing of gifts bears
much fruit.
(Intercessory Chorus)
3/ From 22 to 23 October, the Christian conference “Entre’elles” took place in
Clermont-Ferrand, bringing together 1700 women from French-speaking churches on
the theme “Exist”.
Thank you Lord for bringing together and encouraging the women of your Church. We
ask that the meetings and conversations between all these women from different
ecclesial backgrounds will strengthen the unity of your Body.