Angelus: The pope urges the faithful to pray for the ‘visible unity of all Christians’
The invitation starts the Ecumenical Week, whose meditations were prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church this year. As John the Baptist did, the call is not to seek approval and fame at all costs, but to love simple things and sincere words to recognise Jesus.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – On the first day of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, celebrated every year from 18 to 25 January, the feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Pope Leo XIV today addressed the faithful gathered in St Peter's Square to hear the Angelus.
In his address, the pontiff invited “all Catholic communities to deepen their prayers for the full, visible unity of all Christians,” noting that Leo XIII, whose name he took, encouraged this ecumenical prayer a century ago.
This year’s guiding theme is the verse from the Letter to the Ephesians (4:4) – “one body and one Spirit, as you were also called to the one hope of your call” and the meditations were prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church.
“Our responsibility for unity must be accompanied by a steadfast commitment to peace and justice in the world,” added Leo who invited the faithful to pray especially for the people suffering because of the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Before the Angelus prayer, the pontiff focused on the figure of John the Baptist, who in the Gospel passage proposed in today's liturgy steps aside "with joy and humility" before Jesus who comes into the world.
For Leo, this type of testimony is very important in today's context. “[A]pproval, consensus and visibility are often given excessive importance,” he said, “to the point of shaping people’s ideas, behaviors and even their inner lives. This causes suffering and division, and gives rise to lifestyles and relationships that are fragile, disappointing and imprisoning. In truth, we do not need these ‘substitutes for happiness’.”
In fact, “Our joy and greatness are not founded on passing illusions of success or fame, but on knowing ourselves to be loved and wanted by our heavenly Father.” Indeed, “The love of which Jesus speaks is the love of a God who even today comes among us, not to dazzle us with spectacular displays, but to share in our struggles and to take our burdens upon himself. In doing so, he reveals to us the truth about who we are and how precious we are in his sight.”
Finally, “Dear friends, let us not allow ourselves to be distracted from the Lord’s presence in our midst. Let us not waste our time and energies chasing after appearances. Rather, let us learn from John the Baptist to remain vigilant, to love simplicity, to be sincere in our words, to live soberly, and to cultivate a depth of mind and heart.”
This means, “Let[ting] us be content with what is essential and make time each day, when possible, for a special moment to pause in silence to pray, reflect and listen – in other words, ‘to withdraw into the desert’, in order to meet the Lord and remain with him.”
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