THE KUKMIN DAILY

The Korean Church Commission on Faith and Order (KCFO) has issued a set of guidelines for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which this year is from January 18 to 25. The guidelines are a translation of this year’s resource material, which was prepared by the National Council of Christian Churches of Brazil (CONIC) upon the request of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the WCC Commission on Faith and Order. The guidelines include an introduction to this year’s theme, daily meditations, and suggestions for prayer.

The 2015 theme is the Biblical story of the Samaritan woman who came to the well to draw water, and was requested by Jesus, “Give me a drink.” (John 4:7) The guidelines explain, “The encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman invites us to try water from a different well and also to offer a little of our own... The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is an opportunity to recognize the richness and value present in the other, those different from us, and to ask God for the gift of unity.”

In its statement KCFO adds, “The encounter of Jesus and the Samaritan woman contains a lesson about God and a teaching for life. It is about accepting the gift of unity from Heaven, beyond differences among peoples, communities, religions and cultures… We need to learn from the Samaritan woman, who offered water to a stranger… It is a way to be united with the world, a way to give life to the world, and a way to be together with the Holy Spirit, lamenting the suffering of lives in all lands.”

The annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity was initiated by Fr. Paul Watson in 1908. Member denominations of the National Council of Churches in Korea (NCCK), the Korean Orthodox Church, and the Catholic Church in Korea have participated in this prayer week since 1986.

Reporter Jin Samyeol (samuel@kmib.co.kr), with Yeara Ahn-Park (yap@kmib.co.kr)


Click here for the original article in Korean

Related Article 1

Related Article 2

Related Article 3