A Prayer for the Unity of Orthodox Churches
OCP News Service – 10/9/18
‘THEE/THOU’ VERSION
Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, head of the Church that is thy Body, who prayed for thy disciples to the Father, “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me”: We confess that thy Church is one, and cannot be divided; we mourn for all who separate themselves from Her; we pray that thou mayest make the schisms to cease. We put not our trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation; rather, we put all our hope in thee, and we beg of thee, send thy Holy Spirit to guide our hierarchs, that they may rightly divide the word of thy truth, and that they may bear witness to the unity of the Church in all their decisions. Preserve us, O Lord, from the Evil One and all his attempts to divide us, from the machinations of governments, from the ambitions of fallen men, and from the sin of pride. Heal the wounds caused by our lack of love, and fill us, and our hierarchs, with love for one another as brothers in Christ. Keep us in thy truth; thy word is truth. To thee, and thy Father, and the Holy Spirit: the Holy Trinity, the source and manifestation of all unity, one in essence and undivided, do we ascribe all praise, honor, and glory, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
‘YOU/YOUR’ VERSION
Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!
O Lord Jesus Christ our God, head of the Church that is your Body, who prayed for your disciples to the Father, “That they all may be one; as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that you have sent me”: We confess that your Church is one, and cannot be divided; we mourn for all who separate themselves from Her; we pray that you may make the schisms to cease. We put not our trust in princes, nor in the sons of men, in whom there is no salvation; rather, we put all our hope in you, and we beg of you, send your Holy Spirit to guide our hierarchs, that they may rightly divide the word of your truth, and that they may bear witness to the unity of the Church in all their decisions. Preserve us, O Lord, from the Evil One and all his attempts to divide us, from the machinations of governments, from the ambitions of fallen men, and from the sin of pride. Heal the wounds caused by our lack of love, and fill us, and our hierarchs, with love for one another as brothers in Christ. Keep us in your truth; your word is truth. To you, and your Father, and the Holy Spirit: the Holy Trinity, the source and manifestation of all unity, one in essence and undivided, do we ascribe all praise, honor, and glory, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Source:
OCP News Service
We need His divine wisdom, not only to bring the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox Churches back together but also those within them. Considering the looming issue over Ukraine between Constantinople and Moscow and the potential for further heartbreaking rending of His Body – the Church – we must pray even harder that wisdom, humility and fraternal love prevail. These are not just pious words but essential elements of a truly Orthodox Christian life. Lord have mercy on us for what we do to Your Body – Your Church.
May Divine Grace, Divine Wisdom and Divine Faith prevail in one and all for that unity in Christ Jesus,the personal Saviour of our soul and the personal Lord of our life! We have been gifted this very short span of earthly life not to play and waste life displaying the lust for power, the lust for position and the lust for money being entangled in material riches but to live and gain life reflecting the light and the love of our own Maker who alone is the Supreme authority of one and all making to experience His Power, His Position and His Riches which cannot be either given or taken away by the fallen world thus being liberated in the Spirit of the Lord!!!