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In a homily, Lismore Bishop Greg Homeming spoke of poet and shoemaker Hans Sachs, who featured in Richard Wagner’s 1868 opera Die Meistersinger von Nurnberg.
“In that, at a certain point, Hans Sachs has a monologue, an extraordinary aria, which he sings alone … ‘madness, madness, everywhere there is madness,’ ” Homeming said.
“We are at a time in the world where we could all say with him, ‘madness, madness.’
“You don’t have to look very far. It is everywhere. Anyone who can think ‘I can make peace by bombing people until they’re totally obliterated’ – that is absolute madness.”
Homeming said we are called to live in such a way that “madness gives way to light.”
“We are called to experience the darkness and in that darkness be light,” he said.
“And what does that mean for us?
“We gather together this evening because we all have one thing in common – we have Jesus Christ and he’s the light that has come into the darkness.
“I think at this time more than ever this is something which we must take to heart because in the midst of a world full of madness there are only two possibilities given to us.
“The first is we must look to God, and for us that means look to Jesus Christ to walk with him and stand with him.
“And the other thing which madness calls forth through us is love. Two things: God and love.”
About the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Churches and Christians in the southern hemisphere are invited to observe the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity from 17-24 May.
The theme for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity for 2026 comes from Apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians: “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling” (Eph. 4:4).
For the year 2026, the prayers and reflections for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity were prepared by the Armenian Apostolic Church, along with the Armenian Catholic and Evangelical Churches. The resources are jointly published by the Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity and the World Council of Churches.
The 2026 resources are available online in English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, and Arabic. Enabling millions of Christians around the world to join the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, the resources are available also on the Bible App by YouVersion, offering a daily Bible reading plan, prayers, and questions for reflection.
Learn more about the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2026
