Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2025預覽

The Holy Spirit, the giver of life and joy

Patristic Reading

From the Syriac tradition
It is not correct to say that the Spirit departs when we sin to return when we are converted ... What good is it for me if he dwells in me after I have become righteous? If at the time of the fall he does not dwell in me, does not give me a hand, and does not raise me up, how will I feel his help? What physician, when he sees a sick person who falls sick, leaves and abandons him, to come to him when he becomes healthy? Is it not more useful that the physician be with the sick person at the time of his illness?
- Philoxenus of Mabbug [c. 440-523], On the Inhabitation of the Holy Spirit

For reflection:

1.God’s Spirit renews the face of the earth every day, calling us to cooperation.

2.What are the sources of joy in your life and how are they related to the Holy Spirit?

3.Where do we see the Holy Spirit at work, overcoming our divisions and drawing us into deeper unity, and how can we join in this work?

Prayer

Let us pray:
God our Father,
you have revealed to us the wondrous mystery of your life,
sending your Son into the world
and sharing with us your Spirit of holiness and joy.
Let us rejoice in the Spirit,
who renews the face of the earth and draws us towards unity.
We confess our faith in you,
the One God, three times Holy:
Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
Blessed are you, now and for ever and ever. AMEN.