“Glorious Your Power” by Beth DeCristofaro
He told his disciples to have a boat ready for him because of the crowd so that they would not crush him. He had cured many and, as a result, those who had diseases were pressing upon him to touch him. (Mark 3:8-9)
Piety
O God, your right hand is glorious in power. Extend your hand to help us discover new ways that unite your people in the Body of Christ, the Church. May the strength of your hand take away all misunderstanding and prejudice that hinder our calling to be one in body and spirit. Draw us together in the bond of peace, of faith and charity that we may be one in Jesus Christ our Lord who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, One God forever and ever. Amen. (Week of Prayer for Christian Unity)
Study
People can go to great lengths to be near celebrity – paparazzi might be the craziest in their schemes. In the Gospels we see people coming to Jesus for cures, to hear a prophet, to be rid of demons, to challenge him and, quite likely, to go where the action was. Jesus was present in patient, responsive caring to each of them. In today’s reading people came from quite a distance and from non-Jewish lands. Whether they knew it or not they were connected as they reached out to Jesus for his attention. Today’s Christian churches are also united and the week of prayer for Christian unity seeks to highlight and strengthen our oneness in Christ through our reaching out in prayer, as our foremothers and fathers did on the banks of the Galilee, to Jesus.
Jesus’ many ministries illustrated the glorious power, the mercy and approachable nature of God. In introducing the theme of 2018 Week of Prayer, Fr. Thomas Orians, SA, Associate Director of the Graymoor Ecumenical & Interreligious Institute wrote “As Jesus prepared to seal the new covenant in His own blood, His earnest prayer to the Father was that those given to Him by the Father would be one, just as He and the Father were one. When Christians discover their unity in Jesus, they participate in Christ's glorification in the presence of the Father, with the same glory that He had lived in the Father's presence before the world existed. Therefore, God's covenanted people must always strive to be a reconciled community that serves as an effective sign of how to live in justice and peace for all the people of the earth.” (www.geii.org )
Action
Recite this prayer over the next seven days. Reflect quietly on the message of unity God sends. In what way(s) might I be an agent of unity for God’s Kingdom building here on earth?
Explore the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity website for inspiration.
Illustration and prayer: http://www.geii.org
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