San Damaso courtyard
Wednesday, 2 June 2021
Dear Brothers and Sisters, in our continuing catechesis on prayer, we now consider Jesus as the model of prayer for his disciples. The Gospels show us that the Lord chooses his apostles only after a night of intense prayer. Before every crucial moment in his ministry, Jesus withdraws to pray. Only after long prayer does Jesus question the disciples about their faith in him and then reveal to them his coming passion, death and resurrection. On the mount of the Transfiguration, Peter, James and John then see the Lord in prayer, revealed in his glory as the beloved Son of the Father. At the Last Supper he assures Peter that he has prayed for him, for his conversion and for his future mission. Like the apostles, we too can count on the Lord’s prayer to sustain us in our journey of faith and discipleship. The Catechism reminds us that the Risen Jesus, seated at the right hand of the Father, constantly intercedes before him on our behalf (cf. No. 2741). As we strive to persevere in prayer, may we be confident that our petitions will rise to heaven on eagles’ wings and, with and in Jesus, always find a hearing before the throne of the Father.
