24 April 2013 The need for prayer in order to follow Jesus Three times he looks for his three disciples to pray with him. Perhaps in that state of helplessness he seeks a touch of human warmth. But his friends abandoned the Friend. A night they should have stayed awake, to have prayed; but they slept. They still did not love enough. Yielding to weakness, they left Jesus alone. The Lord found no support. He had chosen them for this; they had let him down. We must always pray, but there are times when prayer must be intensified. To abandon it would be like abandoning Christ, leaving ourselves at the mercy of the enemy. “Why do you sleep?” He asks them [and] us, too. “Rise and pray that you may not come into temptation.” (Lk 22:46) Thus, we say to Jesus: “If you see me asleep, if you discover that I am afraid of pain, if you notice that I stop when I see the cross more closely, Do not leave me! Tell me, as you told Peter, James and John, that you need my affection, my love. Tell me that in order to follow you, in order never to abandon you again into the hands of those who plot your death, I have to overcome my drowsiness, my passions and my comfort ...” (C O’Shea, “The Way of the Cross”) Jesus wants us to accompany him; “without prayer, how difficult it is to accompany him!” (St Josemaria Escrivá, “The Way”, 89) Our experience tells us so. Yet, through a strong daily relationship with him we can say: “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you.” (Mk 14:31) Peter could not fulfil his promise that night. Among other things, he did not persevere in prayer as Jesus had asked. After his repentance, he remained faithful, even dying for his Master years later. Meditating on this scene in the passion can be of great help in making us strong so as never to omit our daily prayer and so to carry out the will of God in the things we find difficult. Lord, may things be done not as I want, but as you want! Ref: Cf Francis Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:237-9 Prayer Transforms Our Lives Prayer transforms our individual lives and the life of the world. Young men and women, when you meet Christ in prayer, when you get to know his Gospel and reflect on it in relation to your hopes and plan for the future, everything is new ... [and] different when you begin to examine in prayer the circumstances of every day, according to the set of values that Jesus taught. These values are so clearly stated in the Beatitudes: “Blest are the merciful; they will receive mercy. ... Blest too the peacemakers; they will be called children of God.” (cf Mt 5:7-9) In prayer, united with Jesus -- your brother, friend, Savior, God -- you begin to breathe a new atmosphere, you form new goals and new ideals. Yes, in Christ you begin to understand yourselves more fully. This is what the Second Vatican Council wanted to emphasize when it stated: ‘The truth is that only in the mystery of the Incarnate Word does the mystery of man take on light.’ In other words, Christ not only reveals God to man but also reveals man to himself. In Christ we grasp the secret of our own humanity. But there is more. Through prayer you come ‘to experience the truth that Jesus taught’: “The words that I spoke to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63) In Jesus, whom you get to know in prayer, your dreams for justice and for peace become definite and look for practical applications. When you are in contact with the Prince of Peace, you understand how totally opposed to his message are violence and terrorism, hatred and war. In him you experience the full meaning of an interpersonal relationship that is based on generous love. Christ offers you a friendship that does not disappoint, a fidelity beyond compare. Ref: Cf Pope John Paul II, “Prayers and Devotions”, 1994, pp262-3 Unity among Christians “The company of those who believed were of one heart and soul.” (Acts 4:32) These words summarize the deep unity and fraternal love of the first Christians, which attracted so much attention from their fellow citizens. “The disciples bore testimony to the Resurrection not only with their words but also with their virtues.” (St John Chrysostom, “Homilies on the Acts of the Apostles”, 11) Christ expressly wished this Church unity from the very start. He speaks of one Pastor (Cf Jn 10:16); emphasizes the Kingdom which cannot be divided (Cf Mt 12:25), of the building with a single foundation (Cf Mt 16:18). This unity was always founded on the profession of one faith, observance of a single form of worship; and submission to a sole hierarchical authority, constituted by Christ. “There is only one Church of Jesus Christ which is like a big tree into which we are all grafted. It’s a matter of a deep vital unity which is a gift from God. It is not merely, nor above all, an external unity; it is a mystery and a gift ... “This unity then is shown around him who in each diocese has been constituted as Shepherd, the Bishop. In the universal Church it is shown around the Pope, the Successor of Peter.” (John Paul II, “Homily”, Madrid, 3 November 1982) The unity of faith was, among the first Christians, the support of their fortitude and of the inner life which flowed over into the exterior. The same Christian life has been lived since then by very different peoples. “... they shared, experienced and transmitted one single doctrine with the same soul and the same heart and identical voice.” (St Irenaeus, “Adversus Haereses”, 1, 10, 2) The first Christians defended this unity of theirs to the point of facing persecution and even martyrdom. The Church has always encouraged her children to watch over their precious unity and pray for it. Our Lord prayed for it at the last Supper: “that they all may be one; even as thou, Father, are in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us” (Jn 17:21). Unity is a great benefit; we must daily implore it because “every kingdom divided against itself cannot stand” (Mt 12:25). Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 2:349-50 • Dedication of Our Lady of Reparation, at Florence, by Eugenius IV., in the year 1436.—(Balingham on the Calendar.) (“Catholic Gems or Treasures of the Church” Historical Calendar; www.bethlehemobserver.com) • Our Lady of Bonaria (Sardinia). (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html) • Our Lady of Bonaria, Island of Sardinia (1370). Declared Patron of Sardinia in 1908. (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html) • “Madonna della Bonaria”. Sardinia, Italy. 1370. Mary is declared Patron of Sardinia in 1908. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)