That they may all be one

Fr Edmund Power, osb

When Jesus prayed to the Father in the context of the Last Supper, he was not thinking only of the disciples who were with him, but was looking into the future: I do not pray for these only, but also for those who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one (Jn 17:20-21). We are those who believe in me through their word.

Do you believe this? (Jn 11:26) is the theme chosen for the 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. It is the question that Jesus poses to Martha after proclaiming himself to be the resurrection and the life (Jn 11:25). His proclamation is the reason all his followers cleave to him in faith, hope and love.

It is the apostle Paul who both articulates the theology of the sometimes arduous journey towards Christian Unity and, more concretely, also provides the setting for the Roman conclusion of the Week of Prayer, always 25 January, always the Basilica of St Paul outside the Walls where by tradition the Pope presides at the concluding ecumenical vespers on what is the solemnity of the Conversion of St Paul. The Apostle of the Nations is a fitting patron of the quest for unity. The experience of Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus reminds us that our strivings and insistences and theological certainties can fall down and rise up as something new. We are still, however, in the interface between falling and rising.

The Lord’s first words to Saul/Paul are Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? (Acts 9:4). Notice the way Jesus identifies himself with his disciples (after all, it is they whom Saul is persecuting). In fact, Jesus and his followers form one body, and that metaphor will find a prominent place in Paul’s later reflections on the relationship between Christ and Christians. Paul’s theology of the body shows us that unity cannot mean uniformity. Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ (1 Cor 12:12). The varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit (1 Cor 12:4) plead for unity in diversity rather than unity in uniformity.

Many questions remain to be answered, of course: how should the unity of all who believe that Jesus Christ is Lord (cf. Phil 2:11) be made visible to the world? Are all the elements of the Deposit of Faith equally essential? How far can we allow the flexibility of compromise to enter? Can we at least treat all fellow Christians with charity and respect?

The week of prayer for Christian Unity is an annual reminder and declaration of commitment to the journey. It cannot stand alone, however, but must express what is a constant challenge for all Christians: to implement the Lord’s desire that they may all be one.