(Day 18). The Spirit in fact teaches us to pray, making Christ present and active in our lives and in our world. In the Spirit we are enabled to call God our Father, to live our vocation to holiness, and to carry out our baptismal mission as witnesses of Christ’s redemptive and merciful love. Through prayer and works of charity we open our lives to the Spirit’s gifts, following in the footsteps of countless saints who have gone before us. The Catechism tells us that there are as many paths of prayer as there are persons who pray, but it is the same Spirit acting in all and with all. In the communion of the Holy Spirit Christian prayer is prayer in the Church (cf. No. 2672). In our prayer, let us ask the Spirit to guide us in our daily lives, to draw us ever more fully into the life of the Blessed Trinity, and bestow upon the Church the richness of his gifts for the growth of our human family in unity and peace. (3/17/21)
(Day 19). All Christian prayer is modelled on Jesus’ own prayer. As the incarnate Son, he not only teaches us to pray, but as the Mediator between God and man he constantly intercedes for us before the Father. Mary, as the mother of Jesus, has a special role in the life of all Christ’s disciples. Mary is our mother, the Mother of the Church, entrusted to us by Christ from the cross. With a mother’s love she cares for us, taking us under the protection of her mantle. In a particular way, as we pray in the Hail Mary, she intercedes for sinners and for those at the hour of death, drawing them ever closer to her Son. Just as she stood beneath the cross, united with Jesus in his abandonment and sorrow, so she is close with a mother’s love to those who are lost or have no one to pray for them. Surely she has been present to so many of our brothers and sisters who at this time of pandemic have died far from the comforting presence of their loved ones. As we prepare to celebrate the Annunciation of the Lord, may we rejoice that Mary, who said “yes” to the message of the angel, is ever ready to say “yes” to us, interceding before her Son for our needs and for the salvation of the world. (3/24/21)
(Day 20). Whenever we pray, we find ourselves immersed in a great stream of past, present and future intercession for the needs of individuals and of the whole world, for we pray together with all the saints in the communion of the Body of Christ which is the Church. The saints – this great “cloud of witnesses” (Heb 12:1) both known and unknown – ceaselessly pray with us and for us in giving glory to God. Our veneration of the saints draws us closer to Jesus, the sole Mediator between man and God. In Christ too, we sense a mysterious solidarity with our loved ones who have died, for whom we continue to pray. We experience this prayerful solidarity also here below, as we pray for one another and for our brothers and sisters who are poor, suffering and most in need. In these challenging times, let us thank the Lord for the great gift of the saints and confidently entrust ourselves to their intercession, for the spread of the Gospel and the salvation of our human family. (4/7/21)
(Day 21). The Church herself [is] a great school of prayer. Our parents, who first taught us to pray, planted within us a seed that matures through our experience of the Christian life. Through the example of other men and women of faith, through our sharing in the life of our parishes and above all through the sacred liturgy, we not only develop our prayer life as individuals, but gradually come to appreciate the richness of the Church’s patrimony of prayer and spirituality. Particularly at difficult moments in life, we come to realize the importance of prayer in strengthening our faith and hope. History shows the importance of communities of prayer – monasteries and religious congregations – for the spiritual renewal of the Church and of society as a whole. Prayer remains the wellspring of the Church’s life and the true source of her strength in bearing witness to the risen Lord. For this reason, Jesus insists on the need of his disciples to pray tirelessly and without ceasing. To pray and to teach others to pray, then, is essential for the Church’s mission of proclaiming the Gospel, serving Christ in our brothers and sisters, and drawing all people into the unity of his kingdom. (4/14/21)
(Day 22). In our dialogue with God, he first spoke to us through his own Word made flesh. He invites us in turn to speak to him in words that embody our deepest thoughts, emotions and experiences. Words do not only express our ideas, they also shape us and often reveal us to ourselves. In the inspired words of the Book of Psalms, we find a model of vocal prayer. The Psalmist gives us the words to bring our joys, fears, hopes and needs to God and to share with him every aspect of our lives. The prayer of the heart and the prayer of our lips can never be separated. As the Catechism tells us, “vocal prayer is an essential element of the Christian life” (No. 2701). Through our spoken or chanted prayer, alone or in common, we find the words that enable us to grow daily in our relationship with God. Prayer thus quietly becomes an essential part of our lives, like the air we breathe. When the disciples asked Jesus to show them how to pray, he responded by teaching them, and us, the words of the Our Father. (4/21/21)
(Day 23). Everyone needs moments of recollection amid the busyness of our daily lives. For Christians, meditation is not simply a matter of introspection but a method of prayer, a means of encountering Christ, above all in the mysteries of his earthly life. While there are many methods of meditation in the Church’s rich spiritual tradition, all have a single aim: to enable us to grow in our relationship with Jesus our Saviour. By the grace of the Holy Spirit, our union with Christ in faith is nurtured through the use of our intellect, imagination, emotions and desires. The Catechism teaches that meditation on the mysteries of Christ deepens our faith, prompts the conversion of our hearts, and strengthens our will to follow in his footsteps (cf. No. 2708). Our Lord’s every word and action can thus touch us and become a part of our own lives. On every page of the Gospel we are invited to encounter Christ and to discover in him the source of our salvation and our true happiness. (4/28/21)