Tag: octaveofprayerforchristianunity

Posted in MORNING Prayers

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE EIGHT DAYS
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power
(Ex 15:6)

Day 6: Let us look to the interests of others

Isaiah 25:1-9 Let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation

Psalm 82 Maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute

Philippians 2:1-4 Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others

Luke 12:13-21 Be on your guard against all kinds of greed

Changing international banking regulations continue to have a negative impact on the trade and commerce of the Caribbean and threaten the economic survival of many families.   It has become increasingly difficult for Caribbean people working abroad to send money back to their families.   The Churches in the Caribbean introduced the Credit Union movement in order for the poor to have access to finance for economic activity.

Reflection

The witness of the Scriptures is consistent that God always makes a preferential option for the poor: the right hand of God acts for the powerless against the powerful. Similarly, Jesus consistently warns against the dangers of greed. Despite these warnings, however, the sin of greed often infects our Christian communities and introduces a logic of competition: one community competing against the next. We need to remember that insofar as we fail to differentiate ourselves from the world, but conform to its divisive competing spirit, we fail to offer ‘a refuge for the needy in distress, a shelter from the storm’.

For our different churches and confessions, to be rich in the sight of God is not a case of having many members belonging – or donating – to one’s own community. Rather, it is to recognise that as Christians we have countless brothers and sisters right across the world, united across the economic divisions of ‘North’ and ‘South’. Conscious of this fraternity in Christ, Christians can join hands in promoting economic justice for all.

Prayer

Almighty God,

give courage and strength to your church
to continually proclaim justice and righteousness
in situations of domination and oppression.

As we celebrate our unity in Christ,
may your Holy Spirit help us
to look to the needs of others.

Amen.

The right hand of God
is striking in our land,
striking out at envy, hate and greed;
our selfishness and lust,
our pride and deeds unjust,
are destroyed by the right hand of God.DAY SIX - OCTAVE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY - 23 JAN 2018

Posted in MORNING Prayers

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE EIGHT DAYS
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power
(Ex 15:6)

Day 4: Hope and Healing

Isaiah 9:2-7a His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace

Psalm 34:1-14 Seek peace, and pursue it

Revelation 7:13-17 God will wipe away every tear from their eyes

John 14:25-27 Peace I leave with you

Within the Caribbean, violence is a problem to which the churches are called to respond. There is an alarmingly high rate of murder, much of which stems from domestic abuse, gang warfare and other forms of criminality. There is also a rising rate of self-harm and suicide in some parts of the region.

Reflection

The kingdom which God promised, the kingdom which Jesus proclaimed and made manifest in his ministry, is a kingdom of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. What does this Good News mean for those trapped in the darkness of violence? In the prophet’s vision, light shone on those who lived in a land of deep darkness. But how can Christians bring the light of Jesus to those living in the darkness of domestic and gang violence? What sense of hope can Christians offer? It is a sad reality that division among Christians is a counter-sign, which hampers the communication of hope.

However, the quest for peace and reconciliation between the different churches and confessions is the opposite of that. When Christians strive for unity in a world of conflict, they offer the world a sign of reconciliation. Christians who refuse to enter a logic of privilege and status, who refuse to demean others and their communities, give witness to the peace of God’s kingdom, where the Lamb guides the saints to springs of the water of life. This is a peace the world needs, and one which brings healing and comfort to those afflicted by violence.

Prayer

God of all comfort and hope,
your resurrection defeated the violence of the cross.
As Your people,
may we be a visible sign
that the violence of the world will be overcome.
This we pray in the name of our risen Lord.

Amen.

The right hand of God
is pointing in our land,
pointing the way we must go;
so clouded is the way,
so easily we stray,
but we’re guided by the right hand of God.DAY 4 - 21 January 2018 - OCTAVE OF PRAYER FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY 2018 - 18-25 JAN

Posted in MORNING Prayers

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018: Day Three – 20 January

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018
Day Three – 20 January

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS FOR THE EIGHT DAYS
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power
(Ex 15:6)

Day 3:  Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit

Exodus 3:4-10  God frees those who are in human bondage

Psalm 24:1-6  Lord, we are the people who seek your face

1 Corinthians 6:9-20  Therefore glorify God in your body

Matthew 18:1-7  Woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!

Many Christian churches in the Caribbean share a concern about the issue of pornography, especially via the internet.   Pornography has destructive consequences for human dignity, particularly for children and young people.   Like slavery, it commodifies human beings, ensnares those addicted to it and damages wholesome loving relationships.

Reflection

The book of Exodus demonstrates God’s concern for people in human bondage.   God’s revelation to Moses at the burning bush was a powerful declaration of his will to free his people.   God observed their misery, heard their cry and so came to deliver them. God still hears the cry of those who are subject to enslavement today and wills to deliver them.   While sexuality is a gift of God for human relationships and the expression of intimacy, the misuse of this gift through pornography enslaves and devalues both those caught up in producing it and those who consume it.   God is not impervious to their plight and Christians are called to be similarly concerned.

St Paul writes that we are called to give glory to God in our own bodies, which means that every part of our lives, including our relationships, can and should be an offering pleasing to God.   Christians must work together for the kind of society that upholds human dignity and does not put a stumbling block before any of God’s little ones but, rather, enables them to live in the freedom which is God’s will for them.

Prayer

By Your heavenly grace, O God,
restore us in mind and body,
create in us a clean heart and a pure mind
that we may give glory to Your Name.

May the churches attain unity of purpose
for the sanctification of Your people,
through Jesus Christ
who lives and reigns with You
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
for ever and ever.

Amen.

The right hand of God
is healing in our land,
healing broken bodies, minds and souls;
so wondrous is its touch,
with love that means so much,
when we’re healed
by the right hand of God.DAY 3 - 20 JAN - OCTAVE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY - 20 JAN 2018

Posted in CATHOLIC-PRAYERS OF THE CHURCH, MORNING Prayers, PRAYERS for VARIOUS NEEDS, PRAYERS of the CHURCH, VATICAN Resources

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

Posted on by AnaStpaul

The Octave of Prayer for Christian Unity 18-25 January 2018

BIBLICAL REFLECTIONS AND PRAYERS DAY 2 – 19 JANUARY

Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power
(Ex 15:6)

Day 2: No longer as a slave but a beloved brother

Genesis 1:26-28 God created humankind in God’s own image

Psalm 10:1-10 Why, O Lord, do you stand far off?

Philemon No longer as a slave but more than a slave, a beloved brother

Luke 10:25-37 The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Human trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery in which victims are forced or tricked into sex work, child labour and the harvesting of organs for the profit of the exploiters. It is a global, multimillion-dollar industry. It is also a growing problem across the Caribbean. Reformed Churches in the Caribbean have joined with the Council for World Mission and the Caribbean and North American Council for Mission to educate Christian communities to end the scourge of human trafficking.

Reflection

One of the first things we learn about God in the Hebrew and Christian Bible is that God created humankind in his own image. However, this profound and beautiful truth has often been obscured or denied throughout human history. For instance, in the Roman Empire, the dignity of those enslaved was denied. The Gospel message is entirely different to this. Jesus challenged the social norms that devalued the human dignity of Samaritans, describing the Samaritan as the ‘neighbour’ of the man who had been attacked on the road to Jericho – a neighbour to be loved, according to the Law. And Paul, made bold in Christ, describes the once-enslaved Onesimus as ‘a beloved brother’, transgressing the norms of his society and affirming Onesimus’s humanity.

Christian love must always be a courageous love that dares to cross borders, recognising in others a dignity equal to our own. Like St Paul, Christians must be ‘bold enough in Christ’ to raise a united voice in clearly recognising trafficked persons as their neighbours and their beloved brothers and sisters, and so work together to end modern-day slavery.

Prayer

Gracious God,
draw near to those who are victims of human trafficking,
assuring them that you see their plight and hear their cry.

May your Church be united in compassion and courage to work for that day
when no one will be exploited
and all will be free to live lives of dignity and peace.
This we pray in the name of the Triune God
who can do immeasurably more than we can ask or imagine.
Amen.

The right hand of God
is lifting in our land,
lifting the fallen one by one;
each one is known by name,
and rescued now from shame,
by the lifting of the right hand of God.

For DAY ONE go here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/the-octave-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-18-25-january-2018/

DAY 2 - 19 JAN - OCTAVE FOR CHRISTIAN UNITY - 19 JAN 2018

For DAY ONE go here:  https://anastpaul.wordpress.com/2018/01/18/the-octave-of-prayer-for-christian-unity-18-25-january-2018/