Continuing his catechesis on Christian prayer at the weekly General Audience in the Vatican, Pope Francis explains that prayer belongs to the very essence of the Church, without which it cannot fulfill its mission of evangelization and service to others.
By Robin Gomes
In his catechesis in Wednesday’s general audience, the pope explained how the Church is a great school of prayer. As children, he said, we learn our first prayers at the feet of grandparents and parents, who also give gospel-inspired counsel. Later, the experience of faith and prayer is deepened through meetings with other witnesses and teachers of prayer, such as in the life of a parish and each Christian community, which is marked by liturgical and community prayer.
Prayer and the difficulties of life
“The garment of faith,” said the Pope, “is not starched, but develops with us.” It is not rigid, it grows, even through moments of crisis and resurrection. And “you can’t grow without moments of crisis, because the crisis makes you grow.”
He continued, “And the breath of faith is prayer: we grow in faith as we learn to pray.” After certain moments in life, we become aware that without faith we could not pass and that our strength was prayer. We realize that not only the personal prayer, but also that of our brothers, sisters, and the community, which we asked for, accompanied and supported us. “
Community and prayer
The Pope explained: “This is also the reason why communities and groups dedicated to prayer flourish in the Church. Monasteries, monasteries, hermitages often become centers of spiritual light, small oases in which intense prayer is shared and fraternal communion is built day by day. The pope said: “These are cells that are vital not only for the ecclesial fabric, but also for society itself.” In this regard, he recalled the role of monasticism in the birth and growth of European civilization, as well as in other cultures. “Prayer and community work keep the world moving. It’s an engine. ”
“Everything in the Church,” the Pope continued, “has its origin in prayer, and everything grows through prayer.” He pointed out that some groups, while carrying out reforms and changes in the Church, were making great efforts in terms of organization and media, but prayer is sometimes lacking. “Prayer,” said the Pope, “is what opens the door of the Holy Spirit, what inspires us to move forward.” He continued: “Changes in the Church without prayer are not changes of the Church, they are group changes. And when the Enemy wants to fight against the Church, he does so, first of all, trying to dry up its sources, preventing them from praying and [inducing it to] make these other proposals. When the prayer ceases, he said, “The church realizes that it has become like an empty shell, has lost its bearing, and has no source of warmth and love.”
Prayer – oil for the lamp of faith
The pope stressed that holy women and men also have problems in their lives and often face opposition. “But their power is prayer” through which they feed their flame of faith, like the oil used for lamps. Thus, they go on walking with faith and hope, “not with the weapons of money and power, or with the media and the like, but with the weapon of prayer.”
Evangelism and ministry
“In the Gospel of Luke, Jesus asks a dramatic question that always makes us reflect,” said the Pope. “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Or, the Pope asked, “Will he find only organizations, such as a group of” entrepreneurs of faith, “all well-organized, doing charity and many other things? This is why Jesus insists on “the need to pray perseveringly without getting tired.” Therefore, “the lamp of faith will always be lit on earth as long as there is the oil of prayer.”
The Pope said that it is prayer that brings us prayer and our poor, weak and sinful life with certainty. Therefore, Christians should ask themselves if they are praying and how they are praying. “I pray like a parrot or from the heart? I pray feeling that I am part of the Church and I pray for her needs or I pray a little according to my needs, leaving my ideas to become a prayer “, the Pope asked. “This is pagan prayer, not Christian prayer,” he said.
The essential task of the Church is therefore to pray and to learn how to pray, transmitting “the lamp of faith and the oil of prayer from generation to generation.” Without the light of this lamp, he said that evangelism will not be possible and that we will not be able to approach and serve our brothers and sisters. “For this reason,” said the Pope, “the Church, as a house and school of communion, is the house and school of prayer.”