2024 Year of Prayer: To reinforce Pope Francis’ call for prayer to be intensified in 2024 in prepare for the 2025 Jubilee year, the archdiocesan Centre for Liturgy has posted 38 catechesis on prayer by Pope Francis. Summaries of these teachings will be published weekly in the bulletin. Details of the catechesis can be found in this link:
https://liturgy.perthcatholic.org.au/year-of-prayer-2024/
2024 YEAR OF PRAYER: POPE FRANCIS GENERAL AUDIENCE
Wednesday, 13 January 2021 – Catechesis on prayer – 21. The prayer of praise
We now consider the prayer of praise. Matthew’s Gospel tells us that Jesus himself, in facing hostility and rejection, responds by praising God. He thanks the Father for who he is and for his love in revealing himself “to mere children” (Mt 11:25), to the poor and humble of our world. Jesus’ example of praise calls us to respond as he did at times when we feel God is absent or evil seems victorious. In this way, we come to view things in a new and greater perspective, for – as the Catechism teaches – through praise we share “in the blessed happiness of the pure of heart who love God in faith before seeing him in glory” (No. 2639). We see this clearly in the example of Saint Francis of Assisi, who composed his famous Canticle of the Creatures when he was troubled by sickness and impending blindness. In praising God for everything, even “Sister Death”, Francis, together with all the saints, teaches us the importance, in all the circumstances of our lives, of praising God who is always faithful and whose love is eternal.