Sunday 24 January 2016

We Shall Overcome

I have a song that I would like to share with you -- one that I've been singing softly in my heart as a little prayer during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18 - 25).  Here are the first couple of lines:

We shall overcome, we shall overcome,
We shall overcome someday . . .

The determination and hope expressed in this beautiful African - American gospel song seems so apropos in light of the overarching purpose of this important annual observance.  Throughout this week, we are invited to not only celebrate our diversity as Christians, but also to be mindful of Christ's call for the unity of his church by praying and working toward this.  It's about deepening our commitment to overcome divisions.  Not just for a few days each year, but always!

This year's theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is: Called to proclaim the mighty acts of God, inspired by 1 Peter 2:9.  A variety of resources for distribution to Christian communities throughout the world have been prepared by an ecumenical team in Latvia, representing various churches and religious organizations, in conjunction with the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity.

In addition, another excellent resource for personal reflection and group discussion is  A Church in Dialogue: Catholic Ecumenical Commitment, which was published in 2015 by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), through its Episcopal Commission for Christian Unity, Religious Relations with the Jews and Interfaith Dialogue.

. . . Oh, deep in my heart, I do believe,
We shall over come someday.


-- Sister Elizabeth Marie