Help me Lord to love you, my neighbour and myself with all that I am.

Scripture: The lawyer answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself” (Lk 10:27)

Reflection. The lawyer’s answer taken from the Old Testament may seem simple but can be difficult.  God’s commandment to love him requires deep commitment and means abandoning ourselves entirely, offering our hearts and minds to serve God’s will.   We can ask for the grace to follow Christ’s example, loving even our enemies. We do not choose our family or our neighbours.  As parents, loving means being attentive to their needs, accepting their imperfections and encouraging their hopes and aspirations. The same attitude is needed on the path of Christian unity.   

Loving ourselves means to accept ourselves as we are, conscious of God’s compassionate gaze upon us, always ready to forgive. We are God’s beloved creation and as we respect and seek inner peace so we should do the same with our Christian brothers and sisters.   

Prayer for Unity, Families and Life.

Lord, give us the grace to know you more deeply, in order to love you with all of our being. Grant us a pure heart, to love and accept ourselves, our neighbour and all the families of creation.   May the gift of your Holy Spirit enable us to see your presence in every creature so that we may love with the same unconditional love that you lavish on us all.   We ask this in Jesus’ name.  Amen. i

SPECIAL PRAYER SEASON  12 – 26 MAY 2024

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) 12 – 19 May.  International programme of the World Council of Churches and the Vatican dicastery with local support of Christian Unity Commission South Africa. . WPCU reflections and prayers prepared by the Christian Churches of Burkina Fasso.  See  https://www.oikoumene.org/events/week-of-prayer-for-christian-unity  and [email protected]  A prayer resource provided by the Christian Unity Commission of South Africa is available in all local languages.   Download from https://churchunitycommission.org/.   Special intentions for all Christian churches are invited during the week.

Laudato Si Week 19 – 26 May.  Promoted by Vatican Dicastery for Integral Human Development. See http://www.laudatosiweek.org

UN International Year of the Family 30th anniversary 15May.  MARFAM adapted the UN IYF30 paper.  

Pentecost is the central and common feast built into the commemorations.

Introduction.

As the three events mentioned occur at the same time and overlap a combined prayer season is promoted with a special focus on Pentecost as the common celebration between the two weeks. In addition to the normal liturgy a special ecumenical prayer service can be held on Pentecost later in the day or during the week, bringing together the current relevant themes of Christian Unity, Family life and the Care of Creation.  A sample programme is provided.   See https://marfam.org.za/2024/05/10/commemorations-of-christian-unity-family-and-climate-and-laudato-si-week/

Dioceses could issue an invitation for the PENTECOST INTERDENOMINATIONAL CELEBRATION or it could be promoted and held at a local level, in parishes, by groups, sodalities, through existing ministers fraternal contacts or invitations to leaders or members of local Christian churches to meet and share this time together.  Pray too for unity and for Burkina Fasso who have prepared the WPCU material and for the many countries of the world that are at war.  In addition let us also remember the SACBC Election prayer for the needs of our country and the elections that will be held on 29 May.    

CHRISTIAN UNITY PRAYER.  Prepared by the SA Christian Unity Commission, available in local languagues. 

Lord Jesus, who prayed that we might all be one, we pray to you for the unity of Christians, according to your will, according to your means. May your Spirit enable us to experience the suffering caused by division, to see our sin, and to hope beyond all hope.  Amen.