Prayer Reconciliation Unity Peace

THE ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC ORTHODOX CHURCH OF JERUSALEM SHALL HOST THE FOURTH EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER OF ALL CHURCHES FOR RECONCILIATION, UNITY AND PEACE, BEGINNING IN AND PROCEEDING FROM JERUSALEM

On Saturday, September 25, 2010, 3 pm Holy Land time, after the first three editions held respectively by the Syrian Orthodox, the Lutheran and by the Greek Melkite Catholic Churches and communities, the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church in Jerusalem shall host, in her Cathedral of St. James, the fourth extraordinary prayer of all Churches for Reconciliation, Unity and Peace, beginning in and proceeding from Jerusalem – calling all Christians in the world to join in a great intercessory prayer to God the Father for our time.
This prayer, originating from Jerusalem, was inspired five years ago during a vigil of prayer at the Holy Sepulchre – the very place where Christ died and rose again. It is a solemn call to all Christians in the world of the Mother Church, acting in her rich diversity and in communion, to join in a deep, insistent, faithful and joyful intercessory prayer, every Saturday at 6 pm local time. It is based on the conviction that our time generally needs such a solemn intercessory prayer by the Church, as she once practiced in times of great difficulty upon the call of her spiritual leaders; that the communion among the Churches in this prayer is a presupposition for it to be heard by the Lord; and that such communion will very much increase its spiritual strength. Wilfully praying together for these intentions in such a significant place for Christianity, where the lack of communion among Christian brothers appears more evidently - is in itself a first, but fundamental act of conversion as far as the lack of Peace in the Church is concerned. A very modest one indeed, and at the same time, immense. Christians today are rarely aware that the division of the Church profoundly conditions the general absence of Peace. They rarely remember, also, that the absence of Peace, in the Church, and outside of it, is above all the consequence of an absence of Christ's Peace in human hearts.
This prayer is to remind the Church that she is, despite the great imperfections of the human hearts that belong to her, the "salt of the earth and the light of the world". The greatness of her mission cannot be understood, if not in the silence of Loving und humble hearts. The Jerusalem Church stands up and calls, and her call shall be heard.

As for the preceding editions, the prayer shall be broadcast by different Christian TV channels the same day at 6 pm Holy Land time, and on other dates, and will be followed by a documentary on the hosting Church.

FOLLOWING THE EASTER CELEBRATIONS - WHICH THIS YEAR HAPPEN TO BE ON THE SAME DATE FOR ALL CHRISTIANS - THE CHURCHES OF JERUSALEM FOR THE THIRD TIME WILL CALL ALL CHRISTIANS TO A GREAT INTERCESSORY PRAYER TO THE FATHER FOR OUR TIME

On Saturday, April 10th, 2010 at 6 pm local time, from the Church of the Greek Melkite Catholic Patriarchate, the Mother Church of Jerusalem will meet physically and call all Christians worldwide to join spiritually in a great intercessory prayer for our time. Together, the Orthodox, Reformed and Catholic Churches shall ask the great grace of reconciliation, unity and peace, beginning in Jerusalem.

Historical place where Salvation was accomplished though Christ, birthplace of the Church by the action of the Holy Spirit, if the vocation of Jerusalem is to be a starting point, it is also a place where great tensions and conflicts are found: the Holy City and the Mother Church urgently need the spiritual support and the constant prayers of the whole Church, in order to remain faithful to their vocation of epicentre of grace in Christ, for the Church and for the world.
This prayer initiative, inspired during a vigil of prayer at the Holy Sepulchre in 2005, has miraculously gained ground. The prayer will in fact be broadcast live by several Christian TV channels in the Middle East and in Europe, and in a differed mode in South and North America. The prayer broadcast is followed by a documentary on the hosting Church. The two previous editions of the prayer were held respectively at the Syrian Orthodox Church and at the Evangelical Lutheran Church, giving participants and listeners the chance to discover the specificities of these communities. God willing, the next prayer session will be hosted by the Armenian Orthodox Church in September or October 2010.

All Christians are invited to continue to pray for these intentions, every Saturday at 6 pm of their local time.

THE CHURCH OF JERUSALEM CALLS AGAIN SOLEMNY CHRISTIANS TO A GREAT INTERCESSORY PRAYER TO THE FATHER FOR OUR TIME

On February 20, 2010 at 6 pm Holy Land time the second edition of the extraordinary prayer to which all Churches of Jerusalem invite shall be held at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Jerusalem, and presided over by H.G. Munib Yunan, bishop of the Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, The Church of Jerusalem, with her strong charisma of Mother Church, asks all Christians to join her in a communion of prayer, asking the Father for the graces of Reconciliation, Unity and Peace - beginning with the Church and with Jerusalem. The idea and the request is then that all Christians continue to pray together for these intentions, every Saturday at 6 pm local time. All the Christians of Jerusalem are invited to attend the event, i.e., the solemn call. The prayer will be broadcast live by TV channels throughout the Middle East, Europe, Brazil and North America.
Since the purpose of the initiative is also to be developing a greater mutual understanding between the Churches, this appointment will be followed by a documentary about the Lutheran Church – the hosting Church for this event.

A NEWS SERVICE FROM TELEPACE ON THE MAY 30, 2009 EXTRAORDINARY PRAYER OF ALL CHURCHES AT THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF JERUSALEM

Extraordinary Prayer - Syrian Orthodox from eternal*light*webcast on Vimeo.

THE FIRST SESSION OF THE EXTRAORIDINARY PRAYER OF ALL CHURCHES WAS HELD IN THE SYRIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH OF SAINT MARK'S CONVENT ON MAY 30, 2009

The Church of Jerusalem, during a very intense and moving hour of prayer with the Syriac melodies going back to the origins of Christianity, has solemnly called all Christians to join her spiritually, so that the prayer of the whole Church may be realised. The graces of Peace, Unity and Reconciliaiton asked from God are in fact so great that the strength of the whole Church must be engaged, in a prayer extraordinary in intensity and constancy.
All Christians are called to continue to pray each Saturday at 6 pm local time, individually or in community, for the intentions of the prayer.
At the end of the prayer, which attempted to evidence the rich tradition of the organising Church, a short presentation of the Syrian Orthodox Church was proposed to the viewers. The scope of the initiative is in fact, as it is known, also to valorise the different traditions of the Church and to develop a greater reciprocal awareness and knowledge among the Christian communities. If, as Christ tells us, “it is by the love you have for each other that you will be recognised as my disciples”, in order to love each other, it is important to have a good awareness and knowledge of our borthers and sisters, To discover the other Christian traditions, while remaining strongly anchored into one’s own identity, is also to rediscover and reinforce one’s faith. The time indeed has come for the reciprocal fecundation among the Churches; it has just started, in and from Jerusalem.

View the prayer of May 30, 2009, in the section "Participate to the prayer".

In the picture: At the end of the prayer, Saydna Mar Swerios Malki Murad frees two doves as messengers of the Peace of Christ - Peace in the hearts.