Week
of Prayer for Christian Unity • Day 4 • January 21, 2012
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Temptation of Christ on
the Mountain, by Duccio (1308-11)
.
Changed
by the Lord's victory over evil
Readings
• Exodus
23:1-9 Do not follow the majority in wrongdoing
• Psalms
1 Happy are those whose delight is in the law of the Lord
• Romans
12:17-2 Overcome evil with good
• Matthew
4:1-11 Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only
Commentary
In Jesus we learn what ‘victory’ really means for human beings—that
is, happiness with one another in God’s love through his overcoming of
all that keeps us apart. This is a sharing in Christ’s victory over the
destructive forces that damage humanity and all of God’s creation. In Jesus
we can share in a new life which calls us to struggle against what is wrong
in our world with renewed confidence and with a delight in what is good.
The words of the Old Testament give a categorical warning against engaging
in wrongdoing and injustice. The attitude of the majority must not in any
way provide an excuse. Neither do wealth or other situations in life entitle
a person to do wrong.
Psalm 1 draws attention not only to the need to observe the commandments,
but especially to the joyful fruits of doing so. A person who loves the
law of the Lord above all else is called happy and blessed. The word of
God is a sure guide in adversity and is the ful-fillment of human wisdom.
Meditating on the word of God day and night enables a person to lead a
life full of fruitfulness for the good of others.
In the apostle’s admonitions we find encouragement to overcome evil
with good. Only good can interrupt the endless spiral of hatred and the
human desire for revenge. In the struggle for what is good, not everything
depends on human beings. However, the Apostle Paul calls for every effort
to be made to maintain peace with others. He understands our continuous
struggle against our instincts to harm those who hurt us. But Paul appeals
to us not to let ourselves be overcome by these destructive feelings. Doing
good is an effective way of combating wrong-doing among us.
The gospel reading describes the Son of God’s struggle against Satan—the
personification of evil. Jesus’ victory over the temptations in the desert
is fulfilled in his obedience to the Father, which leads him to the Cross.
The Savior’s resurrection confirms that here God’s goodness ultimately
wins: love overcomes death. The risen Lord is near! He accompanies us in
every struggle against temptation and sin in the world. His presence calls
Christians to act together in the cause of goodness. The scandal is that
because of our divisions we cannot be strong enough to fight against the
evils of our time. United in Christ, delighting in his law of love, we
are called to share in his mission of bringing hope to the places of injustice,
hatred, and despair.
Prayer
Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you for your victory over evil and division.
We praise you for your sacrifice and your resurrection that conquer death.
Help us in our everyday struggle against all adversity. May the Holy Spirit
give us strength and wisdom so that, following you, we may overcome evil
with good, and division with reconciliation. Amen.
Family Reflection
– Calling each other names
“Can you believe it! She called me a smelly pig! That was just so mean—so
typical of her. She is just like that always saying stupid things. It is
not surprising that she loses her friends so often. What do I care; I will
just ignore her and pretend that it does not matter”. But deep down you
know it does matter, and it bothers you; you start thinking really nasty
thoughts about her, and don not want to be around her, so you avoid her.
However one day she comes to you and asks you for forgiveness for the times
she has called you names. She feels really bad about it she says. But something
in you does not want to forgive her—you want her to suffer first, so you
say that it is too late, and you cannot be friends any more. She
goes away crying.
What do you think about the story? When we fail to forgive each other
and make up, we hurt each other more deeply, and the wounds take longer
to heal. Prayer for Christian Unity week is about Christians deciding to
make up. We have called each other names in the past, and now we want to
give each other one name, just one name that unites us all together, the
name that links us to Christ, Christians, so that we can be friends again. |
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Prayer for
the Lord’s Day Ceremony
This prayer may be used after
the blessing of the Wine similar to the other seasonal variations in the
ceremony.
Leader:
Let us thank Him this day especially for the unity we enjoy
in the Body of Christ and for our call to Ecumenical Life in the Sword
of the Spirit. May we all become perfectly one, so that the world may know
and believe. Lord our God, You are bringing us into the fullness of unity
through the work of Your Son, our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Group:
Now we live with Him through the Holy Spirit, and we look for
the day when we will dwell with him in Your everlasting kingdom. |
