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Pope Francis’ preface to Cardinal’s book
“Praying Today. A Challenge to be Won” is the volume by Cardinal Angelo Comastri published by Libreria editrice vaticana (Vatican City, 2024, pages 112, euros 8.50).
The book-which is part of the series promoted on the occasion of the Year of Prayer and edited by the Dicastery for Evangelization Section for Fundamental Questions of Evangelization in the World-is introduced by Pope Francis’ preface, which we publish below.
Pope Francis words in preface to Cardinal Comastri’s Book:
“That silent cry of the heart that entrusts itself to God”
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Prayer is the breath of faith, it is its most appropriate expression.
It is like a silent cry that comes from the heart of those who believe and entrust themselves to God.
It is not easy to find words to express this mystery.
How many definitions of prayer we can gather from saints and teachers of spirituality, as well as from the reflections of theologians!
But it can only ever be described in the simplicity of those who live it.
The Lord, on the other hand, has warned us that when we pray we should not waste words, in the illusion that this will make us heard.
Rather, he has taught us to prefer silence and to entrust ourselves to the Father, who knows what things we need even before we ask him (cf. Mt. 6:7-8 – “And when you pray, do not use empty phrases as the pagans do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.).
The Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 is now just around the corner.
How can we prepare for this event so important for the life of the Church if not through prayer?
The year 2023 has been set aside for the rediscovery of the conciliar teachings, contained especially in the four Constitutions of the Second Vatican Council.
It is a way of keeping alive the mission that the Fathers gathered at the Council wished to place in our hands, so that through its implementation the Church may rejuvenate her face and proclaim in appropriate language the beauty of the faith to the men and women of our time.
Now is the time to prepare for the year 2024, a year dedicated to prayer.
In fact, in our time the need for a true spirituality, capable of responding to the great questions that arise in our lives every day, provoked also by a world scenario that is certainly not serene, is being felt more and more strongly.
The ecological, economic and social crisis, aggravated by the recent pandemic; the wars, especially in Ukraine, which sow death, destruction and poverty; the culture of indifference and abandonment, which tends to stifle the desire for peace and solidarity and to marginalise God in personal and social life..
These phenomena contribute to the creation a heavy climate that prevents so many people from living with joy and serenity.
Our prayer must therefore be raised with greater insistence to the Father, so that he may hear the voice of those who turn to him in the confidence that he will listen to them.
This year of prayer does not in any way affect the initiatives which each particular Church believes it must plan for its daily pastoral commitment.
On the contrary, it is a reminider of the basis on which the various pastoral plans should develop and find coherance.
It is a time to rediscover the joy of prayer in its many forms and expressions both personally and in community. It is an important time to increase the certainty of our faith and our trust in the intercession of the Virgin Mary and the saints.
In short, it is a year in which to experience a school of prayer, without taking anything for granted, especially in our way of praying, but making our own every day the words of the disciples who asked Jesus, “Lord, teach us to pray” (Luke 11:1 –He was praying in a certain place, and when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.”).
This year we are invited to become more humble and make room for the prayer that flows from the Holy Spirit. It is He who knows how to put into our hearts and on to our lips the right words to be heard by the Father.
Prayer in the Holy Spirit is what unites us with Jesus and enables us to adhere to the Father’s will. The Spirit is the inner teacher who shows the way. Thanks to him, the prayer of even one person can become the prayer of the whole Church, and vice versa. There is nothing like prayer when the Holy Spirit makes Christians feel united as the family of God, who knows how to recognise the needs of each person so that their prayer becomes the invocation and intercession of all.
I am sure that during this year Bishops, priests, deacons and catechists will find the most appropriate ways to place prayer at the heart of the proclamation of hope that Jubilee 2025 wishes to echo in these troubled times.
The contribution of consecrated persons, especially communities of contemplative life, will be very valuable.
I hope that in all the shrines of the world, privileged places of prayer, initiatives will be strengthened so that each pilgrim can find an oasis of serenity and leave with a heart full of consolation.
May personal and communal prayer be unceasing and uninterrupted, according to the will of the Lord Jesus (cf. Lk. 18:1 –he told them a parable, to the effect that they should always pray and not be discouraged), so that the Kingdom of God may be extended and the Gospel may reach every person who asks for love and forgiveness.
To facilitate this Year of Prayer, a series of short texts have been written which, in the simplicity of their language, will help to enter into the various dimensions of prayer.
The publication of the other seven volumes will follow shortly:
– Gianfranco Ravasi, Praying with the Psalms (February 2024)
– Juan López Vergara, The Prayer of Jesus (February 2024)
– Paul Murray OP, Praying with Saints and Sinners (March 2024)
– Antonio Pitta, Parables on Prayer (March 2024)
– Carthusian Monks, The Church in Prayer (March 2024)
– Catherine Aubin, The Prayer of Mary and the Saints (April 2024)
– Ugo Vanni, The Prayer Jesus Taught Us: The ‘Our Father’ (April 2024)
I thank the authors for their contribution and I am happy to place these notes in your hands, so that everyone may rediscover the beauty of entrusting oneself to the Lord with humility and joy.
And don’t forget to pray for me as well.
