“Do Good; Seek Justice”

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 
“Do Good; Seek Justice”


Each year in January, we take time to pray with and for Christians worldwide during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is observed in the Northern Hemisphere this year from Jan. 18 to 25. 

The theme for 2023 was “Do Good; Seek Justice,” chosen by the Minnesota Council of Churches to encourage prayer for racial healing and reconciliation. Following unrest and violence in communities across the country, especially after the death of George Floyd, many Christian churches sharpened their commitment to rooting out the sin of racism and advocating for reconciliation. The Catholic Church has been among the leaders in advocating and promoting human dignity and ending the sin of racism from the civil rights movement to sustaining systems that build up instead of tear down marginalized communities worldwide. 

The theme, taken from the first chapter of Isaiah, reflects the prophet’s concern for the oppressed who suffer from injustice and inequality fed by hypocrisy that leads to disunity. He teaches that God requires righteousness and justice from all of us, to create the peace and unity that God desires. These virtues originate in God's love for all, and racism runs counter to this vision. Isaiah's challenge to do good and seek justice together still applies to us today.

Following the 16th century Reformation, Christian communities divided at a dizzying pace. While most Christians believe that scripture is clear on the Lord’s intention to found but one church, Christianity has nonetheless fragmented into thousands of different denominations and sects.

The prayer for Christian unity was given to us by Jesus himself, in his discourse to the apostles during the Last Supper. Addressing the Father, Jesus asked this for his disciples: “that they may be one, as you, Father are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:21). Thus, Christian unity is a mirror of the unity of the Trinity and a vital element in the evangelization of the world.

The work of Christian unity is called ecumenism, a word derived from Greek and referencing the whole inhabited world. As Christian missionaries spread into Africa and Asia, especially in the 19th century, the shame of disunity proved a daunting obstacle to conversions. In 1910, mainstream Protestant churches met in a World Missionary Conference and began dialog with one another to discern the core Christian message that united them all.

Catholic concern for unity with other Christians is longstanding, although for many centuries concerned first and foremost the unfortunate conflicts with the great Orthodox Churches in the east. In time, the scope of Catholic prayers for unity broadened. In1894, Pope Leo XIII encouraged Catholics to participate in an annual Prayer Octave for Unity following the Feast of Pentecost. 

In 1907, Father Paul Wattson and Sister Lurana White – converts from Anglicanism –
began working with an English clergyman, Rev. Spencer Jones, and founded the Octave of Christian Unity, observed each January. 

As the Second Vatican Council’s Decree on Ecumenism noted in 1964, prayer is the soul of the ecumenical movement. While common works of charity and coordinated efforts to effect social change are significant pieces of ecumenism, unless Christians find common ground for prayer and worship, the ecumenical movement cannot hope to lead us to reunion. For Catholics, this includes a common understanding of the Eucharist, a shared understanding of Church ministry and authority and reverence for the sanctity of life. 

Since Vatican II, Catholics have become particularly concerned about the ongoing erosion of protection for human life, especially attempts to normalize abortion and the pernicious spread of euthanasia. We seek ecumenical partners who will join us in prayer and common efforts to combat these and other assaults and on human life and dignity. 

Unless efforts toward Christian unity embrace solidarity with the most vulnerable of Jesus’ brothers and sisters, then it is but a self serving, hollow offering. Fortunately, we are not alone among Christians; many churches and Christian communities join us to promote the cause of life and advance respect for human dignity. 

In the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City, local parishes are encouraged to engage their neighbors of other faiths in common prayer and advocacy for peace and respect for life. Each year, Christians of many faith communities gather at the Oklahoma State Capitol for the Oklahoma March for Life and for Rose Day, a day to speak on behalf of the sanctity of life. 

Truly, there are many opportunities to meet and pray with other believers, always aware that prayer for Christian unity is, essentially, the prayer of Jesus Christ.