January 3rd
January 2
We are all brothers and sisters!
There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope, to which you have been called.
Experience unity
The world today suffers from a lack of unity. This is evident in the divisions within families, among neighbors, and between churches and communities, to name just a few examples. Polarization seems to prevail over understanding. This is a consequence of individualism taking the lead, pushing people to decide and act independently, seeking their own self-interest or personal prestige, while disregarding others, their needs, and their rights. And yet, it is still possible to experience unity. It is a path that always begins small, with an inner "yes": yes to welcoming, yes to forgiving, yes to living for others. It is not about grand projects, but about small acts of faithfulness that, over time, transform a life, a community, an entire environment. And when this happens, we realize that fraternity ceases to be an ideal and becomes a visible reality and a source of hope for everyone. Martin Buber considers unity to be relationship. It is the space of encounter, the space that exists between the Thou and the I, a sacred place where differences do not disappear, but rather are mutually recognized. For him, unity is born when two realities allow themselves to touch, not when one imposes itself on the other. This “between” can be understood as a space that embraces diversity and, precisely for that reason, becomes a source of communion. That is why, for Buber, all true life is encounter. (Ich und Du, 1923) Thus, in the other—whether a friend, a family member, or anyone we meet on our path—we discover the great “opportunity of relationship.” In particular, the other “saves us” when a difficult situation seems to imprison us in our fears, allowing us to go beyond ourselves. To live in unity means walking together despite differences, transforming them into a treasure, not an obstacle. It is an invitation to move from mere coexistence to true encounter, where what belongs to each person, in reciprocity, becomes new because it is shared and placed in relation. Unity, understood in this way, is not the sum of two parts, nor is it fragility: it is a force that generates hope for a future. Diversity is no longer a lack of unity, but rather becomes mutual enrichment. It is feeling that what happens to the other also resonates within me. Union does not consist of equality, but of harmony, as Rabindranath Tagore reminds us. May we experience this month the joy, the light, the life, the peace, and the hope that spring from lived unity. If we are one, everything is perceived differently.
Word of life
During the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity,[1] we are invited to focus our attention on a particular theme, the one addressed in Paul's Letter to the Ephesians. In what are known as the Prison Epistles, Paul addresses his recipients, urging them to bear credible witness to their faith through unity, based on one faith, one Spirit, and one hope, only through which Christ as body is witnessed to. «There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.» Paul calls us to hope. What is hope, and why are we invited to live it? It is a shoot, a gift, and a task that we have the duty to safeguard, cultivate, and make fruitful for the good of all. «Christian hope entrusts us to stand on the thin line of the mountain range, that frontier where our vocation demands that we choose each day and at every moment to be faithful to God’s faithfulness to us.»[2] For Christians, our vocation, our calling, is not just a matter between the individual and God, but a convocation; that is, we are called together, a call to unity among those committed to living the Gospel. In the speeches and writings of Chiara Lubich, we often find explicit references to unity as a defining aspect of her spirituality: it is the fruit of Jesus' presence among us. And this presence is a source of profound happiness. «If unity is so important for Christians, then nothing is so contrary to their vocation as failing to uphold it. And we sin against unity every time we give in to the temptation—which continually reappears—of individualism, which drives us to do things on our own, to be guided by our own judgment, our self-interest, or personal prestige, ignoring or even despising others, their needs, and their rights»[3]. «There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called.» In Guatemala, there is a very active dialogue among members of different Christian churches. Ramiro writes to us: «We prepared the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity together with a group of people from different churches. The program included an arts festival prepared with young people and various events in different churches. The Catholic Episcopal Conference asked us to continue the experience by also organizing a time of exchange with a group of Catholic bishops and people from different churches who had come together from all over the Americas for a meeting dedicated to the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea. Beyond these activities, we experienced a very strong sense of unity among us all and the fruits that this brings: fraternity, joy, and peace.» Patrizia Mazzola and the Word of Life team [1] This is celebrated in the Northern Hemisphere from January 18 to 25, and in the Southern Hemisphere, during the week of Pentecost. This year’s prayer texts were prepared by an ecumenical group coordinated by the Armenian Apostolic Church. [2] Madeleine Delbrêl, considered by many to be one of the most significant spiritual personalities of the 20th century: https://www.pasomv.it/files/bocc/madalein_del_brel_noi_spes.pdf.[3] C. Lubich, Word of Life of July 1985: EAD., Words of Life/1 (1943-1990), Madrid 2020, p. 343.
