Beginning this Saturday (January 17), Catholics will join with Christians from all over the world to observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (January 18–25). During this week, Christians everywhere will come together to pray for an end to all divisions in the body of Christ. We want to encourage all of you to join in this special week of prayer, which Pope St. John Paul II called an opportunity to see “what is positive in others, to welcome it and prize it as a gift from God” (Novo Millennio Ineunte, 43).

Every pope since Pope St. John XXIII has urged us to pray for unity. Benedict XVI, for example, once asked, “How could and can people today recognize this face of God in the face of Jesus Christ if we Christians are separated?” (January 23, 2008). And just last year, Pope Francis urged us to walk “the path to Christian unity: praying together, walking together, working together” (January 6, 2024).

This year’s theme for the week of prayer focuses on St. Martha’s journey of faith. After Martha’s brother, Lazarus, had died, Jesus asked her, “Do you believe?” (John 11:26). Did she believe that Jesus, the resurrection and the life, could do what seemed impossible and raise Lazarus from the dead? Similarly, Jesus is asking us: Do you believe that I can do the impossible? Do you believe that I can overcome centuries of division and prejudice between Christians? And do you believe that I can heal your own heart of prejudice against your brothers and sisters in Christ?

The work of Christian unity belongs to all of us! So together, let’s pray,
“Lord, may we be one with all Christians, just as you and your Father are one!”