The Face of Mercy / Daniel Conway

Pope Francis teaches us how to pray always

(En Espanol)

“Jesus told his disciples a parable about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary” (Lk 18:1).

In his Angelus remarks on Oct. 16, Pope Francis addressed the age-old question about how to accomplish Jesus’ admonition to his disciples in St. Luke’s Gospel “to pray always without becoming weary.”

The pope’s teaching on prayer is simple. In response to the question that most of us ask, “But, how can I do that? I don’t live in a convent. I don’t have much time to pray!” the Holy Father says:

Perhaps a wise spiritual practice for this real difficulty that the elderly, especially our grandparents, know well can come to our aid, which is a bit forgotten today. These are so-called aspirations. The name is a bit outdated, but the substance is good. What are they? They are very short, easy to memorize prayers that can be repeated often throughout the day, in the course of various activities, to remain “in tune” with the Lord. For example, as soon as we awaken, we can say: “Lord, I thank you and I offer this day to you.” This is a short prayer. Then, before an activity, we can repeat, “Come, Holy Spirit”. Between one thing and another, we can pray thus, “Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I love you”. Really short prayers that help us stay in contact with the Lord.

Pope Francis compares this form of constant prayer with the sending of text messages to the people we love.

“Let’s do this with the Lord as well so that our hearts remain connected to him,” the pope urges us. “And let’s not forget to read his responses. The Lord always responds. Where do we find them? In the Gospel, which should always be kept at hand and should be opened several times every day, to receive a word of life directed to us.”

Too often, we excuse our lack of prayer by saying that we are too busy or that we don’t have enough time.

Pope Francis responds by pointing out that we often focus on things that are “urgent but unnecessary.” And perhaps, the Holy Father says, “without even recognizing it, we neglect what counts the most and we allow our love for God to grow cold, to grow cold bit by bit.”

Jesus offers us “the remedy to rekindle a tepid faith.” That remedy is prayer, the medicine for faith and the restorative of the soul. But it needs to be constant prayer, not just the occasional or intermittent recitation of formal prayers.

“If we must undergo treatment to get better,” the Holy Father says, “it is important to follow the treatment plan well, to take the medicine faithfully and regularly in the right way and at the right times. This is necessary in all of life.”

Reflecting on the closing line of this particular Gospel reading, in which Jesus asks: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on Earth?” (Lk 18:8), the pope comments that “It’s almost like he was saying, ‘When I come again at the end of time’—or we could also think, even now, at this time of life—‘will I find a bit of faith in you, in your world?’ ”

In response to this serious question, Pope Francis observes:

Let us imagine that the Lord came today on Earth. Unfortunately, he would see many wars, much poverty and many inequalities. At the same time, he would see tremendous technical conquests, modern means, and people who are always running, who never stop. But would he find someone who dedicates time and affection to him, someone who would put him in first place? Above all, let us ask ourselves, “What would he find in me, if the Lord were to come today, what would he find in me, in my life, in my heart? What priorities would he see in my life?”

Have we made conversation with God a priority? How often do we open our hearts to our loving Father, to Jesus our brother, and to the Holy Spirit who is our advocate and guide throughout life’s journey? How often do we turn to Mary and the saints to encourage us and give us hope?

“May the Virgin Mary, faithful listener, teach us the art of praying always,” the pope says. May she help us to pray constantly “without losing heart.”
 

(Daniel Conway is a member of The Criterion’s editorial committee.) †