Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Published on January 21, 2020

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Each year these days, 18th – 25th January, are dedicated to praying for Christian unity. This year the Churches of Malta and Gozo have chosen as the theme ‘They showed us unusual kindness’, a reference to the hospitality St. Paul got when he was shipwrecked there on his way to Rome (Acts 27 and 28). This is a good time for all the followers of Jesus to show kindness to those in the broader Christian family. See www.ctbi.org.uk/goanddo

Reflection

‘Let us now try to put ourselves in the place of that boy. The disciples ask him to share everything he has to eat. It seems to be an unreasonable proposal. … In human terms, it is illogical. But not for God. On the contrary, thanks to that small freely given and therefore heroic gift, Jesus can feed everyone. This is a great lesson for us. It tells us that the Lord can do a lot with the little that we put at His disposal.
Even today, the multiplication of goods cannot solve problems without fair sharing. The tragedy of hunger comes to mind, which affects the little ones in particular. It has been calculated officially that every day in the world around seven thousand children under the age of five die due to malnutrition, because they do not have what they need to live.
Faced with scandals such as these, Jesus also addresses an invitation to us, an invitation like the one probably received by the boy in the Gospel, who has no name and in whom we can all see ourselves: “Be brave, give what little you have, your talents, your possessions, make them available to Jesus and to your brothers and sisters. Do not be afraid, nothing will be lost, because if you share, God will multiply. Banish the false modesty of feeling inadequate, trust yourself. Believe in love, believe in the power of service, believe in the strength of gratuitousness”.
Pope Francis