Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

January 18-25

DAY 3

The bond of peace 

Verse for the day 

Make every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace

(cf. Eph 4:3). 

Additional Scripture passages 

Isaiah 11:6-9 

Psalm 86:8-13 

John 14:27-31 

Reflection 

Peace is a crucial factor in maintaining unity within the Church. In Ephesians 4:3, the “bond of peace” signifies a vital and active principle that not only connects but also sustains the unity of the Christian community. Christ, the Prince of Peace (cf. Isaiah 9:6), preached peace and reconciliation. Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), both a gift and a result of the Spirit at work. The “bond of peace” is an active force that maintains church cohesion, holding diverse members together, despite differences in background or opinion. Peace fosters meaningful relationships, allowing believers to interact harmoniously and more readily forgive one another. Paul highlights the fact that true unity requires ongoing commitment to peace. It calls for active cultivation and promotion of peace among members.  

A question to consider 

How does St Paul’s teaching that peace is a fruit of the Spirit impact our daily interactions and relationships within our communities, especially where there is need for reconciliation or forgiveness? 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus Christ,  

you are the Prince of Peace.  

Strengthen the bond of peace among us and in our troubled world.  

Change the hearts of all who make war; touch the wounds of all who are afflicted by war. 

We pray especially for the people of Armenia and Artsakh,  

and their kindred throughout the world.  

Let the light of your love shine in all the dark places of our world  

and hasten the day when all peoples may dwell in peace with justice.  

Amen. 

At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (see John 17.21). Hearts are touched and Christians come together to pray for their unity. Congregations and parishes all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. The event that touches off this special experience is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

WHEN: Traditionally the week of prayer is celebrated between 18-25 January, between the feasts of St Peter and St Paul. In the southern hemisphere, where January is a vacation time, churches often find other days to celebrate it, for example around Pentecost, which is also a symbolic date for unity.

In order to prepare for the annual celebration, ecumenical partners in a particular region are invited to produce a basic liturgical text on a biblical theme. Then an international editorial team of WCC and Roman Catholic representatives refines this text to ensure that it can be prayed throughout the world, and to link it with the search for the visible unity of the church.

Ephesians 4:1 13

I, therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beg you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spi rit in the bond of peace: there is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.

But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it is said, “When he ascended on high, he made captivity itself a captive; he gave gifts to his

(When it says, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is the same one who ascended far above all the heavens, so that he might fill all things.) He himself granted that some are apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, f or building up the Body of Christ, until all of us come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to maturity, to the measure of the full stature of Christ.

New Revised Standard Version