Every year, from January 18 to 25, Protestants, Catholics, and Orthodox Christians are called to come together for the Week of Christian Unity. This prayer was written by Father Paul Couturier, who initiated this week of prayer.
Lord Jesus, on the eve of Your death for us,
You prayed that all your disciples might be perfectly one,
Just as you are in your Father and your Father is in you.
Make us feel it—even to the point of pain
The infidelity of our separation.
Grant us the loyalty to acknowledge.
And the courage to say no
The indifference and mistrust that lie hidden within us,
And even mutual hostility.
Grant that we may encounter one another in you,
So that it may rise unceasingly from our souls and our lips,
The Prayer for Christian Unity,
However you want it, however you choose to do it.
In you, who are perfect love,
Help us find the path that leads to unity,
In obedience to your love and your truth.
Amen.
