杏MAP导航

By Christopher Wells

On Friday, 杏MAP导航 Francis presided at the celebration of Vespers for the beginning of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Justice and only justice you shall pursue

The theme for this year鈥檚 Week of Prayer 鈥� prepared by Christians from Indonesia 鈥� is 鈥淛ustice and only justice you shall pursue鈥�, taken from the book of Deuteronomy (16:18-20).

Reflecting on the reading from Deuteronomy, 杏MAP导航 Francis in his homily noted that this chapter describes the three main feasts of the year for the Hebrew community. Each of these feasts, he said, 鈥渞equires Israel to give thanks for the good things received from God.鈥� And, he added, 鈥渘o one is to be excluded鈥� from the celebration.

杏MAP导航 Francis drew a connection between the celebration of the feasts and the appointment of judges in Israel, which follows immediately in the Biblical text. 鈥淭he feasts themselves exhort the people to justice,鈥� the 杏MAP导航 said, 鈥渟tating that all are fundamentally equal and all equally dependent on God鈥檚 mercy.鈥�

Inequality jeopardizes harmony

This was the inspiration for the people of Indonesia in their choice of a theme for this week. They were concerned, the 杏MAP导航 said, that the economic growth in their country was causing inequality, which 鈥渏eopardizes the harmony鈥� of a pluralistic society.

This problem, however, is not limited to Indonesia, but is worldwide, 杏MAP导航 Francis said. 鈥淲e have forgotten the wisdom of the Mosaic law: if wealth is not shared, society is divided.鈥�

The strong must assist the weak

Citing St Paul, the Holy Father said that this same thinking applies to the Christian community: 鈥淭hose who are strong must bear with the weak.鈥�  He continued, 鈥淪olidarity and shared responsibility must be the laws that govern the Christian family.鈥�

Turning to the problem of divisions among Christians, 杏MAP导航 Francis said that we too risk forgetting about the weak and those in need. 鈥淚t is easy to forget the fundamental equality existing among us,鈥� he said. It is easy for us to imagine that the gifts we have received belong to us alone; and to be blinded to the gifts of other Christians.

Enriched by an exchange of gifts

On the contrary, 杏MAP导航 Francis said, 鈥淭he worship befitting the kingdom, the worship demanded by justice is a celebration that includes everyone, a feast in which gifts received are available and shared by all.鈥� And he said, it is necessary to recognize the gifts that have been given to others. 鈥淎 Christian people renewed and enriched by this exchange of gifts,鈥� he concluded, 鈥渨ill be a people capable of journeying firmly and confidently on the path that leads to unity.鈥�