The focus of this Sunday's readings is prayer. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches: "... humility is the foundation of prayer. Only when we humbly acknowledge that, 'we do not know how to pray as we ought,' are we ready to accept freely the gift of prayer. 'Man is a beggar before God'." (CCC 2559) It also states: "Christian prayer is a covenant relationship between God and man in Christ. It is the action of God and man, springing forth from both the Holy Spirit and ourselves, wholly directed to the Father, in union with the human will of the Son of God made man." (CCC 2564) I encourage all Catholics to read the section of the Catechism on prayer (CCC 2558-2865) which is a beautiful and accessible exposition of this amazing phenomenon which is so central to the Christian life. It is available online for no cost: Catechism of the Catholic Church Let us not be like the Pharisee who in the literal text "prays to himself." If we truly wish to pray, we must orient ourselves to God and like the tax collector humble ourselves in his presence especially as we enter the great mystery of the Mass today.
No comments:
Post a Comment