At the Ecumenical Service – A Longing for the Unity of the Father’s House

On January 25, the traditional ecumenical service was held at the Church of St. John the Baptist and St. John the Apostle and Evangelist in Vilnius, marking the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year, the week invited reflection on the apostolic exhortation: “The love of Christ urges us to reconciliation” (cf. 2 Cor 5:14–20).

Together in prayer at the Church of St. Johns in Vilnius were Bishop Mindaugas Sabutis of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Lithuania, General Superintendent Rev. Tomas Šernas of the Evangelical Reformed Church of Lithuania, Rev. Remigijus Matulaitis and Deaconess Jelena Kask of the United Methodist Church of Lithuania, Pastor Gabrielius Lukošius, leader of the Christian Community “Word of Faith,” Bishop Artūras Rulinskas of the Free Christian Church, Bishop Artūras Strelčiūnas of the New Apostolic Church of Lithuania, Rev. Vitalijus Mockus, rector of the Orthodox Church of St. Paraskeva and head of the Secretariat of the Orthodox Archdiocese in Lithuania, Rev. Vinkentij Vasil Pelykh OSBM, rector of the Greek Rite Catholic Church of the Most Holy Trinity in Vilnius, shepherds and priests of the Catholic Church in the Archdiocese of Vilnius, and the faithful. The service was led by Metropolitan Archbishop of Vilnius Gintaras Grušas. The “Adoremus” choir of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Vilnius (led by Renata Moraitė) performed hymns.

In his homily, Auxiliary Bishop Arūnas Poniškaitis of the Archdiocese of Vilnius invited the congregation to reflect on the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–24) through the lens of the divine Son, Jesus Christ:
“I think of another Son, one so different from the one described in this parable. That Son is Jesus. He did not take a great inheritance to squander it, but, taking the form of a servant, emptied Himself,” the bishop said.

From Jesus’ first words—”Did you not know that I must be about my Father’s business?” (cf. Luke 2:49)—to His final words on the Cross—”Father, into your hands I commend my spirit” (cf. Luke 23:46)—Jesus bore witness to a complete filial self-gift to the Father.

The bishop urged all to seek the way to the Father’s house by following Christ, who “not only shows us the way but leads us. Jesus is the way that leads to the Father’s house. In drawing near to Jesus, we draw near to God, we are reconciled with God, and we come closer to one another. Jesus is the way of unity for all His disciples.”

He noted that the younger son first left the Father’s house in his heart, only later leaving physically, taking what he believed was his rightful share. This son squandered everything—except the memory of hunger and the taste of the bread in abundance at the Father’s house. What he could not lose was beyond his control—the Father’s love and the Father’s waiting.

“The Father’s love is the force that never abandoned the son and always drew him back, eventually returning him home. This house is the home for all of us,” Bishop Poniškaitis reminded, also inviting reflection on the other son in the parable—the one who never left home, never broke the law, and appeared righteous. Yet it is striking how foreign he seemed within his own home. His return to the Father’s house is no less necessary.

The bishop emphasized that each of us, no matter which Christian community we belong to, needs a conversion of heart and a return to the Father’s house.
“When we pray for Christian unity, we must first ask for the grace that will stir our hearts and help us daily—in our actions, relationships, and behavior—to bear witness that we want to be in the Father’s house, to draw closer to God, and thereby also to one another,” he said.

As intercessory prayers were read, participants lit candles whose light, like the flame of the Paschal candle, symbolized Christ—the light of the world. During the ecumenical service, a collection was held in support of the Lithuanian Bible Society. Attendees received a copy of the Gospel of Matthew published by the Society as a gift. After the service, everyone was invited to stay for an agape meal.

Photos of the ecumenical service can be found on the Facebook page of the St. Joseph Seminary of Vilnius.

Source: Vilnensis.lt