The 2014 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity has as its theme: "Is Christ divided?" (1 Cor 1:1-17). This is the question St. Paul asks the Corinthians at the very beginning of his first letter, after thanking them for the call to faith and Christian life that they have received. Informed that there were divisions among them, he exhorts them to live in unity: "Banish all divisions and restore harmony by thinking and feeling the same way.

1. The materials for study, prayer and celebration have been prepared by a group of Christians in Canada. A country where diversity of language, culture and climate reigns (it is one of the largest and most diverse countries in the world); and all this is reflected in the varied expressions of Christian faith, often determined by the multicultural substrates that give them a channel. This too, which could be a path of mutual enrichment, has become, as elsewhere, a source of scandalous divisions among Christians.  

In the passage quoted from St. Paul, three movements of a symphony have been distinguished. In the first movement (cf. 1 Cor 1:1-3) it is recognized that they, the Corinthians (who initially were not Christians, but Gentiles, pagans of Greek culture) are now also "the Church of God" and grace and peace are desired for them. That is, the divine blessings that come from union with God through Jesus Christ. With this, we too are invited to recognize with joy the divine gifts (beginning with the gifts of nature and above all human values) present in other Christian and ecclesial communities, sometimes very different from those in which we live. How does this recognition manifest itself? What could we do for other Christians in the world?

In the second movement (cf. 1 Cor. 1:4-9) Paul deepens this thanksgiving, since, with the grace of Jesus Christ, all subject gifts have come to them, and he strengthens them in the hope that God will never leave them. In these words we can see an invitation to perceive that faith is full of personal and social, spiritual, intellectual and material implications; for a Christian must be concerned for the concrete good of all people, not only of Christians: beginning with the rights of the weakest, the right to life and to work, the care of the family and of Education, etc. financial aid And to carry this out, it must count on the support of other citizens, above all Christians, who share its desire to live the charity that Christ bequeathed to us. But we should also ask ourselves how we can contribute to these tasks together with other non-Christians.

Looking at the history of divisions among Christians, we must recognize important advances in this path of unity, but at the same time we still have a long way to go, much more sensitivity in this.

In the third movement (cf. 1 Cor 10-17), Paul reproaches the Corinthians for their narrow-mindedness and narrow-heartedness, having abandoned the unity of the Christian family around Christ, to oppose one another as supporters of various leaders (Paul, Apollos, Peter). Neither can the name of Christ - the only Savior - serve as an excuse for divisions. And here comes the phrase: "Is Christ divided?"

From there, the Apostle exhorts them to recover harmony and unity in what is essential, baptism and the cross of Christ. This does not mean that they do not appreciate those "leaders" (their educators or formators) through whom the faith came to them, or the legitimate diversity of the expressions of that faith, of their celebrations or of their Christian life; for the gifts of other Christians always enrich us. Is it really so in our lives?

"Honoring the gifts of others," reads the materials prepared for Unity Week, "brings us closer in faith and on mission statement, and leads us toward that unity for which Christ prayed, with respect for an authentic diversity of worship and life.

2. For all this, we need "witnesses", people who go ahead in emphasizing what unites us Christians of different confessions (without ignoring what still separates us from full communion); and above all, Christians of different confessions to work together in so many fields in favor of persons, families, the common good of society, care for the Earth. How can we do this, beginning with "other Christians" who are geographically or sociologically closer to us? How can we get to know better the expressions of the Christian faith of the baptized "others," who are therefore also our brothers and sisters, in order to foster the visible unity of Christians? What initiatives can we share with them? In other words, how can we offer them partnership in our initiatives or apply for collaborate in theirs?

We well know that ecumenism (the task of fostering visible Christian unity) is a task for which all Christians are responsible. That task can be accomplished in many ways. At the very least we can all pray for unity. Prayer for unity is one of the permanent and most important intentions of the Church. We Catholics can offer the Mass, which is the update of the submission of Jesus, who lived, died and rose again "so that all may be one" (Jn 17:21), and thus was also "creating" the Church; at the same time we can offer our works, family occupations, sorrows and joys for the unity of Christians. This is what is called "spiritual ecumenism" (cf. W. Kasper, Ecumenismo espiritual, Madrid 2007).

There is also the cooperation, to which we have referred above, with other Christians in activities of ethical or social interest, of human promotion and of service, particularly to those most in need. And it is very good that we collaborate together, precisely in order to give the "common witness" that Christ is not divided.

Along with these tasks there is the study, dialogues and documents of theological experts who try to advance in the understanding of the questions of the Christian faith and its diverse expressions. We can all improve in the task of getting to know and understand one another better, as the degree scroll of J. Burggraf's book(Conocerse y comprenderse, Madrid 2003) says; and not as an activity of mere diplomacy, but of interest born of appreciation, of charity.

3. Unity is the fruit of faith and almost budget for the advertisement of faith. This is what Benedict XVI said when he encouraged the common witness of Christians (speech before the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity committee , November 15, 2012); also because ecumenism is important for dialogue with non-Christian religions (mainly Judaism and Islam).

Christ has laid the pillars of unity (cf. Benedict XVI, General Audience, 19 January 2011). This was well lived and understood by the first Christians (cf. Acts 2:44-45): the teaching of the apostles (the confession of faith), which leads us to study and deepen our understanding of the doctrine we believe; Christian fraternity, which manifests itself in concern for one another and openness to the needs of all others; the celebration of the Eucharist, goal of visible unity, which requires us to ask forgiveness for our sins and live in charity; and always prayer, the window that opens us to God and to others, drawing us out of our own, and often dwarfed, interests.

Christ is not divided. Those of us who are divided, unfortunately, are Christians. And none of us are totally unaffected by divisions. We are also all, to varying degrees, responsible for unity, at least with prayer, with cooperation, with the way we treat God and others, with our perseverance in the faith. In this sense Pope Francis has underlined the value of the "ecumenism of blood" that unites persecuted Christians (cf. Interview with La Stampa, December 10, 2013).