This is the first volume of a series of small texts that will be published in the Year of Prayer convened by the Pontiff in preparation for the Jubilee of 2025.
Prayer is the breath of faith, it is its most appropriate expression. Like a silent cry that comes from the heart of those who believe and trust in God. It is not easy to find words to express this mystery. How many definitions of prayer can we gather from saints and teachers of spirituality, as well as from the reflections of theologians! However, it can only be described with the simplicity of someone who lives it. On the other hand, the Lord has warned us that, when we pray, we should not waste words, deceiving ourselves into believing that we will be heard. Rather, he taught us to prefer silence and to entrust ourselves to the Father, who knows what we need even before we ask him (cf. Mt 6:7-8).
The Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 is just around the corner. How can we prepare for this important event in the life of the Church if not with prayer? The year 2023 has been dedicated to the rediscovery of the conciliar teachings, contained above all in the four Constitutions of Vatican II. It is a way of keeping alive the slogan that the fathers gathered at the Council wanted to put in our hands, so that, through its application, the Church may rejuvenate its face and proclaim the beauty of faith to the men and women of our time with an appropriate language. Now is the time to prepare for the year 2024, which will be completely dedicated to prayer. Indeed, in our time the need for a true spirituality is increasingly stronger, capable of responding to the great questions that arise every day in our lives, also provoked by a world scenario that is certainly not serene. The ecological-economic-social crisis aggravated by the recent pandemic; the wars, especially the one in Ukraine, which sow death, destruction and poverty; the culture of indifference and discard tends to suffocate aspirations for peace and solidarity and to marginalize God from personal and social life… these phenomena contribute to generating a climate of sadness, which prevents so many people from living with joy and serenity.
We need, therefore, for our prayer to be raised with greater insistence to the Father, so that He hears the voice of those who turn to Him with the confidence of being heard. This year dedicated to prayer in no way diminishes the initiatives that each particular Church feels it must program for its daily pastoral commitment. On the contrary, it remembers the foundation on which the various pastoral plans must be developed and find consistency. It is a time when, both personally and in community, we can rediscover the joy of praying in a variety of forms and expressions. A significant time to increase the certainty of our faith and confidence in the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the saints. In short, a year in which to live almost a “school of prayer”, without taking anything for granted or obvious, especially with regard to our way of praying, but making the words of the disciples our own every day when they asked Jesus: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1).
In this year, we are invited to be more humble and to make room for the prayer that flows from the Holy Spirit. It is He who knows how to put the right words in our hearts and on our lips to be heard by the Father. Prayer in the Holy Spirit is what unites us to Jesus and allows us to adhere to the will of the Father. The Spirit is the inner Master who shows us the way; thanks to Him, the prayer of a single person can become the prayer of the entire Church, and vice versa. Nothing like prayer according to the Holy Spirit makes Christians feel united as a family of God, who knows how to recognize the needs of each one to make them become an invocation and intercession for all. I am sure that bishops, priests, deacons and catechists will find this year the most appropriate modalities to put prayer at the base of the announcement of hope that Jubilee 2025 wants to make resonate in this hectic time. To this end, the contribution of consecrated people, especially communities of contemplative life, will be very valuable.
I hope that in all the sanctuaries of the world, privileged places for prayer, initiatives will multiply so that each pilgrim finds an oasis of serenity and leaves with a heart full of consolation. May personal and community prayer become incessant, without interruption, according to the will of the Lord Jesus (cf. Lk 18:1), so that the Kingdom of God spreads and the Gospel reaches every person who asks for love and forgiveness. To facilitate this Year of Prayer, some short texts have been prepared that, due to the simplicity of their language, will help you delve into the various dimensions of prayer. I thank the authors for their contribution and I gladly place these “Notes” in your hands, so that each one may rediscover the beauty of entrusting oneself to the Lord with humility and joy. And don’t forget to pray for me too.
Francis
