Every year in January, Christians from different churches celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Due to the pandemic, we will celebrate it differently, this time, online. In this article, Gio Francisco reflects on our reality as Christians, who, despite being separated, strive to live out Jesus’ commandment of mutual love, making us more authentic witnesses of His dynamic presence among us before all people.

Green is in!

One of the many “new” things that came about in the previous year was the “Plantito/Plantita” phenomenon. This term which just emerged in social media as a hashtag is actually a combination of two words: “plant” and “tito” (Filipino term for “uncle) or “tita” (Filipino term for “aunt”). While it’s not clear if it was started by uncles or aunts, the use of “tito” or “tita” in this case, was maintained to mean engaging in this activity as a sign of “adulting,” meaning more responsibilities. Thus, the term.

I know of people who have engaged in being Plantitos/Plantitas, and it doesn’t stop with just purchasing plants. Part of being a Plantito/Plantita is knowing how to take care of different plants. For instance, knowing which plants need direct or indirect sunlight and which plants are compatible with another plant (like tomato and basil).

The Christian Family as One Plant

In a Gospel passage, Jesus also refers to the Father as a gardener, and this is the text from which this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity draws its theme: “Abide in my love, and you shall bear much fruit” (cf. Jn 15:1-17). In this text, Jesus says, “I am the vine; you are the branches.” We can look at these different branches as the different Christian denominations and communities. We may be different or separated and yet, connected and rooted in one vine: Jesus. For a branch to remain alive, it has to remain connected to the vine which in turn also links it to the other branches. The branches cannot choose to be connected only to the vine and not to the other branches since they are all part of one plant. So, we have to recognize this reality: we are part of one and the same plant. 

Look at the map of the world. Trace where Jesus was during his earthly life and how the apostles then parted ways to spread the Good News and then how other disciples, especially missionaries, went to different nations to spread the Christian faith – how Spanish missionaries brought the Christian faith to the Philippines 500 years ago, how the different Christian denominations grew. Imagine this as the movement of the growing vine plant. We may be different branches but rooted in the same vine: Jesus. And to continue being rooted in Him, as we should be (after all, we call ourselves as “Christians”), Jesus tells us, “Remain in my love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in my love” (Jn 15:9-10). And what exactly does Jesus command us to do? The chosen text concludes with these words from Jesus: “love one another.”

Called to Love

Jesus, in the same text, has referred to us as his friends. How about us? Are we ready to make friends with other Christians, or will we just remain in our own “Church” bubble? We are not just called to a friendship with God but also to a friendship with one another. And loving one another will increase that sense of friendship among us.

“See… how they (Christians) love one another!”[1] Do we offer the same impression to the world when they see Christians? Our love for one another will certainly testify to the identity of God who is Love and to our identity as Church, “the people of God throughout the world, united in faith and love and empowered by the Spirit to bear witness to the risen Christ to the ends of the earth.”[2]

In the history of the Church, we saw how wounds were created through the division of Christians and many efforts have been made to heal these wounds among the churches and communions of the East and West through theological dialogue. Much has to be done also through the dialogue of life to which each one of us has a contribution to offer. However, “the question we should ask ourselves is not whether we can re-establish full communion, but rather whether we have the right to remain separated.”[3]

Celebrating 2021’s Week of Prayer

So, this year, when large gatherings are discouraged due to the pandemic, how can we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity? In the past, we usually held large gatherings for prayer services and other activities to bring us together. However, this year, while videoconferences and live streaming make it possible for us to proceed with the prayer services, maybe we are also called to celebrate it by looking inwards. Let’s look at ourselves, our attitudes, and our interactions. Do we really contribute to the realization of the prayer of Jesus, “that all may be one” (Jn 17:21)? Surely, if we keep Jesus’ commandment to love one another, our efforts will bear fruit in the unity of Christians.

I am confident that the unity of Christians is no longer a matter of “if” but a matter of “when”!

Giancarlo “Gio” Francisco

[1] Tertullian, Apologeticus ch. 39, sect. 7

[2] Benedict XVI, Message at the Farewell ceremony at Sydney Airport, July 21, 2008

[3] John Paul II, Address to His Holiness Dimitrios I, Saint George at the Phanar, November 30, 1979