(UCA News) — Every January, as winter settles across northern India, Christians from countless traditions pause to pray together for unity. From the 18th to the 25th, believers gather in churches, homes, and hearts to remember Jesus’ simple plea: that all who follow him might be one.

This Week of Prayer for Christian Unity feels especially urgent now, in a nation of over 1.3 billion people where Christians form a vibrant minority navigating both rich diversity and real division.

Picture last year’s gatherings: in Kolkata, Baptists, Catholics, and Protestants filled the Baptist Mission Church, their voices blending in hymns that crossed doctrinal lines. In Delhi, ecumenical services brought together communities that rarely worship side by side.

Even in smaller towns, families shared meals and prayers, lighting candles for reconciliation. These weren’t grand spectacles but intimate human encounters — priests and pastors clasping hands, youth reciting creeds together, strangers becoming siblings in faith.

This year’s theme, drawn from Ephesians 4:4, speaks directly to the heart: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling.”

Saint Paul’s words remind us that unity isn’t something we manufacture through clever strategies or negotiations. It’s a gift, rooted in the Spirit who breathes life........

© Eurasia Review