Vatican City (AsiaNews) – At a press conference held today in the Vatican, Archbishop Rino Fisichella, Pro-prefect for the Section of New Evangelisation of the Dicastery for Evangelisation, outlined the Year of Prayer Pope Francis announced as preparation for the Jubilee of 2025, which he also mentioned last Sunday.
The year will not include any special initiatives, but it will be a “privileged time in which to rediscover the value of prayer, the need for daily prayer in the Christian life; a time to discover how to pray, and above all how to educate the people of today in prayer, in this age of digital culture, so that prayer can be effective and fruitful.”
“We cannot deny the fact that our time manifests a profound need for spirituality,” Archbishop Fisichella explained. “The louder the cry of technology that seems to correspond to all our desires, the deeper we discern the search for a true spirituality that brings each person back to encounter themselves in the truth of their existence and therefore in a coherent relationship with God.”
This is what underscores the pope's idea of a year that puts prayer back front and centre.
“There are many people who pray every day;” the prelate noted. “No statistic can give us a true picture, with figures and percentages, of this very intimate experience of people who know the multi-faceted nature of prayer in a completely personal way.
“From those who quickly make the sign of the cross, to those who participate in the daily Eucharist, there is such a vast range of ways of praying that no one can fully describe them all.
“From quick to distracted prayer; from contemplative prayer to prayer filled with tears of pain ... prayer cannot be captured in a pre-established pattern because it is a manifestation of the believer's personal relationship with God himself within that intimate and exclusive relationship that distinguishes our faith.”
The Year of Prayer is thus meant to be a time to foster a “relationship with the Lord, offering moments of genuine spiritual rest.” And precisely for this reason, it will focus on the words of the disciples addressed to Jesus: “Teach us to pray" (Lk 11:1).
This also includes some books and resources that the Dicastery for Evangelisation will provide.
The first was published today, part of a series called "Notes on Prayer", published by the Vatican Publishing House (LEV), titled Praying today. A challenge to be overcome, by Card Angelo Comastri, archpriest emeritus of the Vatican Basilica who authored many books on spirituality.
Pope Francis will also personally promote a "School of Prayer" during the year, Archbishop Fisichella said. This will take the form of a series of “moments of encounter with specific groups of people to pray together and better understand the various forms of prayer: from thanksgiving to intercession; from contemplative prayer to the prayer of consolation; from adoration to supplication…”
