The Pope: it is urgent to get out of particularisms, Christians continue on the path of unity

God has given us “instruments”: prayer and love, to “make unity grow”. As the devil tempts us with the “weaknesses of our brothers”, magnifying the errors and faults of others, “the Holy Spirit inspires us to unity”. Pope Francis, who on Wednesday January 20 dedicated his catechesis to prayer for the unity of Christians, reminds us that the root of communion with God “is the love of Christ”, this makes us overcome the prejudices of seeing in the other a brother and a sister to always love.

Jesus’ prayer after the Last Supper, said the Pope, can be considered as “his spiritual testament”: he prayed “that they all may be one” (Jn 17:21). However, – he continued – we note that the Lord did organize to the unity of the disciples. He didn’t even give them a speech to motivate their need. He has prayed to the Father for us, that we may be one.

This means, explained Francis, “that we alone, with our strength, are not sufficient to achieve unity”, because “unity is above all a gift, it is a grace that must be requested by pray”:

Remembering the apostle Paul, who felt within himself the heart-wrenching conflict of “wanting good and being inclined to evil,” and who understood “that the root of so many divisions that exist around us – between people , in the family, in society, between peoples and also among believers – is in us ”, Francis, quoting the Vatican Council II, presented the many elements which are combated within man himself, and asserted that “the solution to divisions is not to oppose someone, because discord breeds another discord”:

Unity – he assured – can only come as the fruit of prayer. “Diplomatic efforts and academic dialogues not enough “. “They must be done, but they are not enough,” he stressed.

That is why he invited us to ask ourselves if we are praying for the will of Jesus, for unity. “If we review the intentions for which we pray, we will probably realize that we have prayed little, perhaps never, for Christian unity,” he observed. On this, he added, “faith in the world depends”:

And “in this time of great need”, continued the Pope, “prayer is even more necessary so that unity prevails over conflicts”. “It is urgent to put aside particularities to promote the common good, and this is why our good example is fundamental: it is essential that Christians continue on the path of full and visible unity”.

It is a journey, animated by the Holy Spirit, which has already begun and which will always go forward, and Christians must “strive for unity”, that is, “pray”.

Praying means striving for unity. Yes, fight, for our enemy, the devil, as the word itself says, is the divider. Jesus asks the Holy Spirit for unity, to make unity. The devil is always divided. Always divide, because division is in your best interest. He alludes to division everywhere and in all ways, while the Holy Spirit always converges in unity. The devil, in general, does not tempt us with high theology, but with the weaknesses of our brethren. He is cunning: he magnifies the mistakes and shortcomings of others, sows discord, provokes criticism and creates factions.

While God “takes us as we are, different, sinners, and pushes us to unity”, the divider takes the weapon “which has more at hand” to divide: “the gossip”, with which he “feeds the conflict”:

“Remain in my love and you will bear fruit in abundance”, (cf. Jn 15, 5-9). The theme of this Week of Prayer, said the Pope, “refers precisely to love”, and realizes that “the root of communion is the love of Christ, which makes us overcome prejudices to see in the other a brother and sister to love always. ”Thus“ we discover that Christians of other faiths, with their traditions, with their history, are gifts from God, they are gifts present in the territories of our diocesan communities. and parish “.

Prayrecalls the Council, – concluded the Pope – is the soul of the whole ecumenical movement (cf. Restoration, 8).

In his greetings to the faithful, the Sovereign Pontiff prayed for those suffering from the pandemic, and recalled in particular Manau, in northern Brazil, where the situation is dire due to the lack of oxygen and hospital beds. He also appealed, for the entry into force, on January 22, of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.