From Jerusalem, the call for an Extraordinary Action of Prayer by the Church for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace

On June 11, 2011, at 6 pm Holy Land time, the Latin Catholic Church will host the sixth Extraordinary Prayer of all Churches for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in and proceeding from Jerusalem. The prayer will be presided over by H.B. Mgr. Fouad Twal, the Catholic Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, from the Latin Patriarchate Church in the Holy City.

The coincidence of the sixth edition of this great intercessory prayer for our time called upon by the Jerusalem Churches with the Vigil of Pentecost - which this year all Christians celebrate on the same date – makes her a particularly joyful and solemn event. The Jerusalem Churches with one voice will call all Christians in the world to join in a communion of prayer for the intentions of Reconciliation, Unity and Peace


Extraordinary Prayer at Syrian Orthodox Church (Part 1) from eternal*light*webcast on Vimeo.

All Christian communities and all individual Christians are invited to participate in the extraordinary prayer of the Church for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in and proceeding from Jerusalem (Luke 24:47), with trust that these prayer intentions will then be realized in the entire world, in accord with the unique vocation of the Holy City: that of being the historic and symbol departure point of the most beautiful promises and prophecies of the Scriptures, and of being a place of particular grace for the human family (Is 2: 1-5).

For the Christian, the division of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, profoundly conditions the general lack of Peace. The Mother Church of Jerusalem calls, therefore, the whole Church to an extraordinary action of prayer for the grace of Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in the Holy City: an action of prayer which manifests, by its very nature, the adhesion to Unity that is requested thereby. The Mother Church of Jerusalem calls to a great intercessory prayer for our time, spontaneous and joyful, born in the heart of Christians inspired by the Holy Spirit.

The foundational principle is that all Christians pray together, at the same time, for the same intentions. If the union of prayer in the name of Christ comprises the promise of His presence with us (Matt 18:19-20), the communion of prayer of Christians truly prefigures Reconciliation and Unity in Spirit within the Church: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 35).
All Christians are strongly encouraged to further diffuse this prayer of deep and intense faith, in this spirit, so that the prayer of the whole Church might be fully realised.

The basic proposal is to practice one hour of prayer every Saturday between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. in the Holy Land, or between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. local time, throughout the rest of the world. For those who are unable to participate fully, a reduced participation (of even a few minutes!) is suggested, but preferably, at the indicated time.

« The more an epoch is submerged in the night of sin and distance from God, the more it needs people of prayer united to God. And God does not allow them to fail. From the most obscure night advance the greatest prophets and saints. For the most part, however, this river of mystical life which is formed remains invisible. To be sure, the decisive turning points of human history are essentially conditioned by souls who are addressed by no history books. And we ourselves will not know to whom we owe the decisive turning points of our personal life until the Day on which all that is hidden is revealed.»
Edith Stein

Learn more about the initiative and get further resources here.