My Thoughts on 03/06/2020
When I was at school, each month we used to be given a small printed page with a life of a saint on one side and a special intention on the other. This was from an organisation entitled the Apostleship of Prayer.
Today the Apostleship of Prayer is the Pope’s worldwide prayer network. Its aim is to help people develop a personal prayer life in unity with the Pope’s intentions. It is also a way of allowing men and women the world over to prepare their hearts for Christ’s mission. Every month, the Apostleship focuses on an intention for the Church and the world proposed by the Pope. This month, during which the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart occurs, the Pope asks that
“We pray that all those who suffer may find their way in life, allowing themselves to be touched by the Heart of Jesus”.
During this time of the Covid-19 pandemic many indeed are suffering, whether through illness or by watching loved ones sicken. Part of us longs for a return to normal, leading us to examine what we meant by that normal, and to face our fears that it might never return. Therefore, it is important not to let fear control us; the love of the Heart of Christ will be our great strength.
The Holy Father recently suggested that
“Prayer belongs to everyone: to men and women of every religion, and probably even to those who profess no religion. Prayer is born within the secrecy of our being, in that interior place that spiritual writers often call the “heart”.”
Take a moment to ponder what is in your heart today, especially during these trying times. Could it be a prayer that you didn’t recognise was a prayer?
Pope Francis has also spoken of Christian hope as
“a sail that catches wind and is therefore able to sail out to sea, and new lands, and fresh discoveries”.
If we take his idea into our own prayer, can we feel ourselves borne on the winds of the Holy Spirit, sailing outwards to a new place and new joy?
Visit, every day, the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network’s website, www.popesglobalprayer.net and the digital prayer platform, www.clicktopray.org; pray with the Pope, especially on the First Friday of the month, at www.thepopevideo.org. It’s the Pope’s own personal prayer-group and the largest prayer-group in the church! To receive a selection of prayer-cards including our Daily Prayer Pathway, leave your order, with full address details, on the Jesuit direct landline voicemail at 020 8442 5232 or by emailing prayernetwork@jesuit.org.uk; suggested donation for P&P £1.50.
