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By Riccardo Burigana

            More than 100 years have passed since American Father Paul James Francis Wattson proposed that each year the Week from January 18 to January 25 be dedicated to prayer for the building of the visible unity of the Church. It was not the only initiative in this direction, so much so that in the southern hemisphere it is still preferred to celebrate this Week around Pentecost, but over the years Father Wattson's proposal, while undergoing modifications and reconsiderations, has become for many Christians a powerful time in prayer and reflection for overcoming divisions and living unity in diversity according to the model of the Church found in the New Testament, rooted in the words of Jesus Christ. Since the celebration of the Second Vatican Council, the Week of Prayer has taken on a new, increasingly ecumenical physiognomy, since the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity of the Catholic Church and the Ecumenical Council of Churches have also begun to work together in defining the form and content of the Week, so as to issue an invitation to all Christians to share, in prayer, the suffering of divisions and the joy of unity. Precisely to emphasize its ecumenical character, right from the preparation, each year a group of local churches is asked to choose a biblical passage with which to indicate an aspect of the ecumenical journey. From the chosen passage, the group prepares a Presentation Grant for the Week with which to express the distinctiveness of its vocation to unity. For 2022, the choice fell on theMiddle East Council of Churches ( MEEC), which is based in Beirut.

            The Middle East Council of Churches, which was established in 1974 and currently gathers 27 churches, pointed to a passage from the Gospel according to Matthew, "In the east we saw his star appear, and we came here to honor him" (Matt. 2:2), as the guiding text for the 2022 Week of Prayer. The dimension of hope that comes from relying on Christ, always, especially in times, such as the present ones marked for all by the pandemic and for Lebanon by the total uncertainty of today, was combined with the dynamic dimension of the Christian faith to be lived in the world and for the world, in the building of a culture of welcome that starts from listening to the other, as Pope Francis often reminds us, placing himself, also in this, in perfect harmony with the leaders of international ecumenical bodies and of many Christian Churches. Last year, for Christmas, Pope Francis wrote a letter to Cardinal Béchara Boutros Raï, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, president of the Assembly of Patriarchs and Catholic Bishops in Lebanon, and through him "to all Lebanese, without distinction of community or religious affiliation," saying among other things that "great is my pain in seeing the suffering and anguish that suffocates the innate resourcefulness and vivacity of the Land of the Cedars. Even more so, it is painful to see all the dearest hopes of living in peace and of continuing to be for history and for the world a message of freedom and a testimony of good living together; and I who from a true heart take part, as in every one of your gladnesses, so also in every one of your sorrows, feel in the depths of my soul the gravity of your losses, especially when I think of the many young people whose every hope of a better future is taken away. Great is my sorrow to see the suffering and anguish that stifles the innate resourcefulness and vivacity of Cedar Country. Even more so, it is painful to see all the dearest hopes of living in peace and of continuing to be for history and for the world a message of freedom and a witness to good living together; and I who from a true heart take part, as in every one of your gladnesses, so also in every one of your sorrows, feel in the depths of my soul the gravity of your losses, especially when I think of the many young people whose every hope of a better future is taken away."

Weighed in the choice of the passage from Matthew that recalls the birth of Christ and the experience of the magi, alongside an assessment of the present, were the priorities that have guided the work of the Middle East Council of Churches since its first constituent assembly was held in Cyprus. The Council has always strived to strengthen "the convergence of ways of seeing, perspectives and attitudes within the churches of the Middle East, especially regarding issues related to Christian presence and witness and Christian-Muslim relations." In recent years, especially in recent years, the Council has aimed to be a bridge between churches to break down barriers and prejudices, between Christians and other religions, especially with Muslims, to foster paths of reconciliation for peace, between the Middle East and the multiplicity of Christian traditions, with a particular focus on dialogue in the Mediterranean, as, among other things, the presence of the Council's Secretary, in Bari, Italy, in July 2018, on the occasion of the meeting desired by Pope Francis for peace in the Mediterranean.

Together with the ecumenical journey, which is an occasion for an ever better knowledge of one's own identity and the riches of communion, may prayer foster dialogue and the common witness of Christians, which, in Lebanon, takes on a very special significance; in fact, together Christians can contribute "to a more dignified, just and peaceful life for all men and women of our time and of the times to come," as we read in the Italian translation of the Subsidy for the Week of Prayer that can be downloaded directly from the Holy See's portal. The dramatic emergency, into which Lebanon has plunged, for a number of reasons that go far beyond the contingent local nefariousness and substantial disinterest at the international level, calls for living the Week of Prayer as a time in which to renew the prayer for peace that constitutes the inalienable task for Christians. Together, Christians, speaking with one voice, can, and must, demand that we find, soon, not temporary but structural solutions, designed for today and tomorrow, to overcome the poverty of men and women in Lebanon, so that we may live that hope, given to the world with the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, in Bethlehem, as a light that changes the world.