From the official material prepared by the World Council of Churches and the Pontifical Council for Poromoting Christian Unity:

Scripture

Jeremiah 1:4-8, Go to all to whom I send you.
Psalm 98, Sing to the Lord a new song.
Acts 14:21-23, They strengthened the souls of the disciples.
Luke 24:13-17a, What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?

Meditation

Sharing our stories is a powerful way in which we give witness to our faith in God. Listening to one another with respect and consideration allows us to encounter God in the very person with whom we are sharing. The reading from Jeremiah offers us a powerful witness of God’s call to the prophet. He is to share what he has received, and so allow God’s Word to be heard and lived out. This call to proclaim God’s Word is also experienced by the disciples in the early Church, as witnessed to in the reading from Acts. Our psalm allows us to sing to God with a spirit of praise and thanksgiving.

Today’s gospel passage presents a Jesus who enlightens our blindness and dispels our disillusionment. He helps us to understand our stories within the one unfolding plan of God. During this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, we listen to the faith stories of other Christians in order to encounter God in the variety of ways God’s very self is revealed to us. In listening with attentiveness we grow in faith and love. In spite of the diversity of our personal and collective witness, we find ourselves intertwined in the one story of God’s love for us revealed in Jesus Christ.

Prayer

God of history, we thank you for all who have shared their story of faith with us and so have given witness to your presence in their lives. We praise you for the variety of our stories both as individuals and churches. In these stories we see the unfolding of the one story of Jesus Christ. We pray for the courage and the conviction to share our faith with those with whom we come into contact, and so allow the message of your Word to spread to all. Amen.

Reflection Questions

Are you “gossiping the Gospel” or just gossiping?
How open are you or your church to be drawn into the stories of others?
How open are you to share with others your stories of faith, and so give witness to God’s presence in your personal experiences of life and of death?
Are you aware of the enormous potential for good that modern means of communication offer the Church today?