This week’s service has been prepared by the brothers and sisters of the Community in Avranches (North of France).
Reflection text
Spiritual Ecumenism
Spiritual ecumenism refers to the inner heart of the ecumenical movement: the search for Christian unity through prayer, conversion of the heart and holiness of life, rather than primarily through institutional or doctrinal agreements.
Spiritual ecumenism refers to the inner heart of the ecumenical movement: the search for Christian unity through prayer, conversion of the heart and holiness of life, rather than primarily through institutional or doctrinal agreements.
The essential points of this spiritual ecumenism are:
• Common prayer: praying together for the unity willed by Christ („that they may be one”, Jn 17:21).
• Interior conversion: recognizing one’s own limitations, purifying memories, growing in humility and charity.
• The primacy of the Holy Spirit: unity is first and foremost a gift of God before being a human construction.
• Communion lived among us: learning to recognize each other as brothers and sisters in Christ despite confessional differences.
In the teaching of the Catholic Church, the Second Vatican Council (Decree Unitatis Redintegratio) affirms that spiritual ecumenism is „the soul of the entire ecumenical movement”. It inspires and supports theological dialogue and concrete initiatives.
A few concrete examples can be noted:
• The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.
• Shared times of prayer or Lectio Divina.
• The common witness of charity and peace.
This spiritual ecumenism is therefore a call to live every day in our life and in our prayer.
Intercessions
To be adapted or modified according to the place and circumstance
Pope Leo XIV visited Lebanon to meet, among others, the Christian Churches and dignitaries of other religions. „Only united in dialogue, respect and fraternity will Lebanon be able to recover its original beauty, the beauty that God has given to this land,” said Leo XIV.
Lord, we entrust to you the land of Lebanon, a land of Christians and Muslims. Let all partisan ideas and any desire for division be set aside so that Christians and Muslims may unite in the same thirst for reconciliation and dialogue.
Pope Leo XIV structured his visit around 4 words: Hope, Unity, Justice and Peace. „Peace on the lips of all Lebanese is a dream that they dare not cherish”
Lord, help the Lebanese, by the power of your Holy Spirit, to mobilize and overcome regional tensions, partisan interests, corruption, and political instability so that this dream of peace is no longer a dream but a reality.
In Avranches two pastors have recently been appointed: one in the Evangelical Church, the other in the Pentecostal Church. Several members of the Chemin Neuf Community successively participated in worship in their churches, with a deep shared joy.
Lord, we entrust to you the different Churches in Sud Manche. May each of us have it in our hearts to go out to meet others in order to know each other better, to be better enriched by our differences and to grow on this path towards Christian unity.
On December 13th, at the Village of Mont Carmel d’Avranches, the 10th anniversary of the Alliance between the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel d’Avranches and the Community of Chemin Neuf was celebrated, in the presence of Bishop Grégoire CADOR (Bishop of Coutances and Avranches).
Lord, thank you for this alliance that unites our two communities. Continue to accompany us for the years to come by taking care of this unity.
Prayer for Christian unity
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.
(Prayer written by members of the Chemin Neuf Community
inspired by a prayer of Father Paul Couturier)