Lent and Ecumenism

From February 11 to 18 this year the Catholic Church and the Protestant Churches in Davao are celebrating the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This has been done for several years worldwide guided by a committee composed of persons from the Vatican Council for Christian Unity and its counterpart in the World Council of Churches in Geneva. And all in response to the Last Supper prayer of Jesus, “that they may be one”(Jhn 17:11).

The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity (WPCU) is celebrated worldwide on January 18-25 every year except in Davao. Because the bishops’ annual Conference is held towards the end of January, we changed our date to Feb 11-18 so our bishop could be present.

The Archdiocesan Center for Ecumenical and Interreligious Dialogue (ACEID) under Fr. Pete Lamata spearheads this celebration. Coordinating with him are Pastors from the Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal, United Church of Christ and Philippine Independent Churches. Supporting ACEID are Catholic parishes of St. Jude, Immaculate Conception (Mintal) and Assumption with their respective Parish Priests together with the Women Religious and the Focolare Movement.

The ecumenical prayer service approved by the Vatican and Geneva is being held in the Catholic parishes and the Protestant churches from February 11 to 18.

Providentially the Lenten season occurs this year on February 14. This is a significant occurrence for Protestants, Aglipayans and Catholics who are all Christians. They all believe in the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus although their respective observance and practice are different.

It is my hope and prayer that the Easter Mysteries of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus will become an occasion for a certain well studied joint interreligious and intercultural celebration that can lead to unity and peace. This is the reason why I believe that the start of Lent (Ash Wednesday February 14) ocurring in the middle of the ecumenical Week of Prayer is not a coincidence but a Providence. For, it was on the eve of His passion that Our Lord prayed that all of us, Catholic and Protestant, Christians would finally be one in belief and practice if we follow Him by living the Paschal Mysteries in our life.