Blessed Dominic: "Shepherd of The Second Spring"

Now that Cardinal Newman is to be beatified, let us pray for the canonisation of Blessed Dominic. He is one of my favourites, and very special to this blog which is concerned with the unity of Christians. Here is a prayer for unity and the conversion of England;



PRAYER TO BLESSED DOMINIC OF THE MOTHER OF GOD PASSIONIST APOSTLE OF ENGLAND

O God, Who so lovingly raised Blessed Dominic to the heights of holiness, learning and apostolic zeal, and made him a powerful minister of Thy mercy for the return of many of our separated Brethren to the Catholic Church, grant to us also an abundant share of his virtues, that we too, according to our state, may contribute to the realization of his desire for the union of all Christians in one Fold, under one Shepherd. Deign now, through his intercession, to grant us the particular grace which we humbly ask of Thy mercy ...
Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory Be (3 times)

Romae 12. viii. 1963, NIHIL OBSTAT

Praying for Christian Unity? - Why Not One Date for Easter?

The Greek Orthodox calendar for the 21st century shows that the Western Church and the Orthodox will celebrate Easter on the same date 31 times. The last time East and West will celebrate it together in this century will be 2099. After that it will be 801 years before there is a common date! This will be in 2900.

Why is this important? Why worry about Easter? Clearly, one of the main reasons for pursuing Christian Unity is so that we can all witness together. How can we present a credible witness to the world when we can't even agree to celebrate the Lord's Resurrection on the same day? It is true that not all Christians celebrate the Birth of The Lord on the same day (for example the Copts celebrate in January), but Easter is the central feast of the Christian life, and it would be a great sign of our common faith and our desire to be "one" if we could share the proclamation of Easter morning.

The above banner is from a web site where you can sign a petition to urge the major Christian leaders of East and West to continue working towards an agreement on this. Some work has already been done between Orthodox and Roman Catholic representatives, but we need to move ahead. I know that most of us (who can read and walk upright) will not be around for 2099, but we surely have a duty to do something to advance this cause. This coming Easter we will be celebrating on the same date. If you don't think that is very important, just think of Pope John Paul II's words about the Church "breathing with both lungs" and the present Pope's committment to the cause of unity. Think back to that extraordinary meeting between Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI in the '70's. Can we do something to push towards the dream of unity? Will God bless our efforts to unite around the empty tomb, the upper room and the Mount of the Ascension? Why not sign that petition (here)?