Prayer and Unity

It’s significant, writes Walter Kasper (Handbook of Spiritual Ecumenism), that “Jesus did not primarily express his desire for unity in a teaching or in a commandment to his disciples, but in a prayer to his Father. Unity is a gift from above, stemming from and growing toward loving communion with Father, Son and Holy Spirit.” When Christian pray for unity, we share in Jesus’ prayer, “who promised that any prayer in His name would be heard by the Father” (10).

If unity is a gift of God, Christians should “pray for it together.” Kasper calls prayer “the royal door of ecumenism: it leads Christians to look at the Kingdom of God and the unity of the Church in a fresh way; it deepens their bonds of communion; and it enables them to courageously face painful memories, social burdens and human weakness.” This isn’t theoretical: “In every age of history, the principal artisans of reconciliation and unity were persons of prayer and contemplation, inspiring divided Christians to recommit themselves to walk the path of unity” (11).

Prayer for unity is part of the “change of heart and holiness of life” that, according to Unitatis Redintegratio, is needed for reunion of the churches: “The way toward reconciliation and communion unfolds when Christians feel the painful wound of division in their hearts, in their minds and in their prayers.” They become “aware of how much harm has been caused by pride and selfishness, by polemics and condemnations, by disdain and presumption.” In prayer, we are awakened to “serious examination of conscience” and recognize our faults as we’re thrown to the reconciling power of the Gospel.