austraLasia 1396

Count to seventy seven - slowly, then... (much better than counting sheep!)

ROME: 18th January 2006 --  While there is a lull in exciting news around the region, count to seventy-seven, slowly, and for each digit counted, pray for the strength to forgive someone who has wronged you: one practical step on the tough road to reconciliation, suggested in the new worship resources for this years Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, but probably just as useful after a community meeting!  The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is a worldwide movement of Christians of many denominations, languages, and great diversity of race and culture. We are engaged in praying and working for the unity of Christians in the service of the wider redemption, unity and peace of all peoples. Every year the dates are the same, 18 to 25 January, regardless of the days of the week. Praying for unity does not involve prayer for any specific schemes for unity. The theme for 2006 is 'Where two or three are gathered in my name' from Matthew 18.20. The theme was chosen by the Churches of Ireland, at the request of the international committee, which represents Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches, and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.
    In our EAO Region there are reasons why this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity might be overlooked, two main reasons: for that part which belongs to the Southern hemisphere, it is holiday time, and it makes little sense to follow dates set by Europe or North America.  Hence we find that this week is usually relocated by common consent amongst the Christian Churches, to sometime in May or more accurately, close to Pentecost.  The second reason is that it is about Christian unity specifically, not so much interfaith dialogue, and it is the latter which many countries in our Region are more likely to be dealing with.
    All that aside, this  is a significant event for the Universal Church, whatever the dates.  An earlier austraLasia reminded us that Day Seven of the 18-25 January dates for the majority who follow these, is the Feast of St. Francis de Sales, a true 'icon' for ecumenism not just for the difficult pre-ecumenical situation he worked in but for the style and theological underpinning with which he tackled his pre-ecumenical circumstance.  That alone is a productive theme to follow up.
    A little history - as ever, interesting.  The 'week' is really an octave, that is it lasts eight days not seven.  It began back in 1908 at the suggestion of an Episcopalian (American Anglican, for want of a better description) priest who founded a religious group at Graymoor, near New York's Hudson Valley, called the Society of Atonement.  One notes that the following year he and his entire 'Society' were received into the Roman Catholic Church, something which could have been a setback for Christian Unity for some!  Anyway, the idea caught on (the praying for bit, not necessarily the conversion).  The foundation of the World Council of Churches in 1948, the Vatican II Decree on Ecumenism in the '60s which called prayer 'the soul of ecumenism' both gave a fillip to the 'Octave' in question and subsequently a joint committee was put in place involving the Faith and Order Commission of the WCC and the Council for Promoting Christian Unity in Rome.  They ask ecumenical groups to draft themes and texts for each year.  This is the third time the Irish group has done so.  They have chosen Mt18:15-22, the passage about "where two or three are gathered in my name...".
    For once, the Vatican website comes up tops on this one.  It contains all the texts, useful liturgical ideas and the factors in the Irish ecumenical context which helped them fashion this theme.  You can do no better than to go there at www.vatican.va and seek it out.
    And keep your eye on either ANS or austraLasia (remember, you can see them both quickly and easily by using RSS) for some reflections on events around the world during this week.  But could you also pray for one other event this week, please?  The well-subscribed (250 plus) Salesian Family Week Spirituality Week which opens in Rome tomorrow.  I note two or three from Pakistan in the group.  That must be a first!

VOCABULARY
fillip:  it actually refers to the striking of something with a finger nail flicked from the thumb, hence in general referes to a vigorous stimulus or 'push' given to something.
come up tops: colloquial expression meaning does exceptionally well