Bangalore Archdiocese makes a meaningful observance of Christian unity prayer octave

Bangalore, January 23, 2020: The fifth day of the week of prayer for Christian unity was organized in Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Halasuru on 22nd January 2020 at 6.30 pm. The MetropolitanArchbishop Peter Machado presided over the prayer service in the presence of various other pastors and heads of the churches. The theme for the day to reflect was “Strength: Breaking bread for journey”. Rev Christy Raj Kumar, Rev Calvin and Fr Faustine Lobo were present to pray for the unity.

The prelate imparted his apostolic blessings on the congregation and said, “Christian unity is the need of the hour and invited all the Christians to be united to face the challenges.”Fr Mathew CSSR delivered a beautiful sermon on the multiplication of the loaves. He invited all the Christians to walk together, work together and pray together. The overall theme for the unity octave 2020 is “They showed us unusual kindness” (Acts 28:2)

The prayer for Christian unity is deeply rooted in the Bible. Everyone is encouraged to pray for unity because Jesus prayed that His disciples would be one (John 17:20-21). As per the tradition the ‘Unity octave’ begins on 18th of January and concludes with the feast of Conversion of St Paul on 25th January. Every year reflection is based on different themes based on the biblical verses. The materials for the 2020 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity have been prepared by the Christian churches in Malta and Gozo (Christians Together in Malta).

The secretary for the Archdiocesan commission for Ecumenism Fr Pradeep Kumar contemplated on the background of the theme of the year and said, “Hospitality is very much needed virtue in our search for Christian unity. It is a practice that calls us to a greater generosity to those in need. The people who showed unusual kindness to Paul and his companions did not yet know Christ, and yet it is through their unusual kindness that a divided people were drawn closer together”.