Pope, in book preface, discusses his life of prayer
October 04, 2024
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CWN Editor's Note: Pope Francis discusses his life of prayer in his preface to Come Gesù ci ha insegnato: La preghiera dei pellegrini di speranza [As Jesus Taught Us: The Prayer of Pilgrims of Hope], a forthcoming collection of his writings on prayer, some previously unpublished.
“Even as Pope, nothing has changed: I pray as I always have, with the same rhythm,” the Pope wrote in his preface. “Sometimes I say vocal prayers, sometimes before the Blessed Sacrament, I endure moments of dryness. My prayer continues through beautiful things and not-so-beautiful things. Sometimes I think I need to pray more, that’s true. There’s no time, but I need to pray more.”
“I always stick to the Liturgy of the Hours; I never abandon it: in the afternoon, Vespers; later, the Office of Readings; in the morning, Lauds; and then Mass,” he continued. “And then there’s mental prayer, the prayer of meditation; when I have a little time, I try to have a conversation and ask the Lord something, but I fear He might respond.”
The Pope also discussed his praying of the Our Father (“the great prayer”) and his prayers to the Blessed Virgin Mary (“I also have great trust in the Madonna; I always pray the Rosary”).
“If the Church doesn’t support you with prayer, you’re done,” the Pope mused. “The community must support its bishop, and the bishop must pray for the community.”
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