The Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
January 18-25, 2007

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ:

"He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak"
Mk. 7:31-37

On behalf of the officers and staff of the Christian Conference of Asia, I greet you with the Peace of our Savior, Teacher and Friend, Christ Jesus!

Once again, we enjoin you to celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from January 18 to 25 this year. This is a special time each year when the global ecumenical movement, represented by the Commission on Faith and Order (World Council of Churches) and the Pontifical Council for Christian Unity (Catholic Church), prepares liturgical and Bible study resources to commemorate our common commitment, prayer and aspiration to Christian unity.

This year, the theme of the week-long celebration is “He even makes the deaf to hear and the mute to speak” which is taken from the biblical story in Mark 7:31-37. The theme is inspired by the experience of Christian communities in the South African region of Umlazi (near Durban), which have undergone great suffering due to racism, unemployment, poverty and the HI/AIDS pandemic.

For us here in Asia, the theme also speaks of our need for healing from pain that cuts across our denominational, ethnic and religious differences. The theme reminds us, as churches, of our need for healing as the broken body of Christ. Broken not because we have been truly distributed to feed the hungry (as the Lord’s Supper speaks about). But broken because of our lack of acceptance of our differences, and sometimes due to rivalry and competition. Indeed, the theme reminds us of our calling to be the arms and feet of Christ today, working together, traveling with Christ, to wherever there is human need and suffering.

I therefore enjoin you to celebrate this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity during this time set aside or at some other appropriate time in the year, with other church groups in your local area. There are resources available for this celebration which can be downloaded through the following web pages: http://wcc-coe.org/wcc/what/faith/wop2007/wop2007-e.pdf.

May we indeed witness together to the one Lord and Savior who prayed, ‘that they may be one.’

With peace and blessings

Prawate Khid-arn
General Secretary, CCA