praying with the holy father

www.JClubCatholic.org

PAU

LINE B

ooks & M

edia

His white hat is called a zucchetto, and he wears red shoes. But what does the Pope have to say to me? What popes say and pray is interesting and inspiring, but the words they use can be unfamiliar. With the approval of Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Praying with the Holy Father brings you the thoughts and prayers of the popes in language that is easy to understand and pray. Through this book you’ll be able to meet and pray with fourteen Shepherds of the Church whom we call “Holy Father.”

Thoughts and prayers of the popes for young Catholics

Youth/Prayer books

$9.95

Praying with the H

oly Father

“Lord, to whom can we go?”

Peter, our first Pope

“I will give you the keys of the

kingdom…”

Jesus, to Peter

PrayingHF_cover.indd 1 6/11/11 11:11:07 AM

Compiled and edited by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe

Boston

PrayingHoly

Father

with the

PrayingHF_interior.indd 1 6/9/11 10:28:05 AM

Thoughts and Prayers of the Popes for Young Catholics

∂

Praying with the Holy Father

Honoring Mary with the Holy Father

Adoring Jesus with the Holy Father

∂


Table of Contents

Introduction ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 1

About Prayer .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 4

Our Families .. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 12

God’s Plans For Us ... ... ... ... ... ... 20

The Church ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... 28

The Whole World ... ... ... ... ... ... 36


In Difficult Times ... ... ... ... ... ... 44

Living Our Faith . ... ... ... ... ... ... 52

The Saints in Heaven ... ... ... ... ... 60

Asking Mary’s Help .. ... ... ... ... ... 68

Meet the Popes You’ve Prayed With ... 76


1

Introduction

If you took a trip to Rome, you’d probably visit St. Peter’s Basilica. And if you were going to be there on a Wednesday, you might be excited to discover that there were tickets to see the Pope waiting for you. You would find the Bronze Door, walk up to the counter, and collect an envelope with your name written on it.

When you arrived at the Papal Audience, you’d be directed to a place in the Paul VI Hall. Or, if the weather was nice enough, you’d join thousands of other pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square. Your seat could be close or at a distance. And while you might have to stretch your neck to get a good view, seeing the Holy Father might well be one of the happiest and most exciting things that ever happened to you.

If you are fortunate enough to go to a Papal Audience at the Vatican someday, you’ll see and hear—maybe even meet!—one Pope. Until then, this book is meant to be your ticket to a personal audience with fourteen popes. It is a chance for you


2

to “meet” a few of the 265 men who, as Bishops of Rome, have been shepherds of the Universal Church.

Popes write, and say, and pray a lot of things. They give speeches, meet world leaders, travel, work for peace, and direct how the Church goes about fulfilling the mission of Jesus Christ. But our Holy Father, the Pope, is not just the leader of the whole Catholic Church. He is also, in a special way, the one who leads our Church in prayer.

Praying is one of the most important things we can do. But for people of all ages, it is also one of the most difficult. You don’t need to read this book all at once. In fact, don’t read it at all! Take one page or one section at a time, and pray with the Holy Father who wrote the words on that page. Make him a part of your prayer time, and become part of his prayer time, too! If that sounds impossible, remember that prayer places us all in God’s presence. So, through prayer, we can be together even with people who lived hundreds of years before we were born!

A lot of what the popes have to tell us is interesting and inspiring. But the words popes use can be hard to understand. Sometimes the vocabulary is formal or unfamiliar. Sometimes the meaning of


3

what a pope says is challenging. That is why we have made this book.

With the approval of Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Praying with the Holy Father gives you the prayers and words of the popes in bite–sized pieces, and in language that is easier to pray and understand. The prayers in these pages come from many times and situations. They are about all sorts of things, and were prayed by popes who were quite different from each other. At the end of this book is a section of very short biographies, so that you can learn something about the popes you have prayed with.

So, find a place to be with God, and invite a pope to come along. After all, the Holy Fathers—if they could—would certainly take time to pray with you.

—Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, Editor


About Prayer


6

First of all, pray. Prayer is real: God listens to us. When we pray, God comes into our lives. When we pray, God becomes present among us, and he works among us. Praying is a very important thing; it can change the world because it makes the power of God present. It is important to help each other by praying together at Mass, and praying together as families. In this way, prayer shows others how to be one with God.

—Benedict XVIDialogue with the Children of the

Pontifical Society of the Holy ChildhoodMay 30, 2009


7

It is important to begin the day—and also to end the day—with a small prayer. Remember, too, to pray for our parents. Pray before lunch, before dinner, and at Mass on Sundays. Mass is the heart of Sunday. A Sunday without Mass is not truly a Sunday. Mass gives us light for the whole week. You can also help others, especially those who don’t pray at home or don’t know about prayer. You can teach others to pray by praying with them. In this way, you can introduce others to friendship with God.

—Benedict XVIDialogue with the Children of the

Pontifical Society of the Holy ChildhoodMay 30, 2009


8

When no one listens to me anymore, God still listens to me. When I can no longer talk to anyone or call on anyone, I can always talk to God. When there is no longer anyone who can help me deal with a need or expectation that is more than I can hope for, God can help me. When it seems that no one is with me . . . if I pray, I am never totally alone.

—Benedict XVISpe Salvi, 32

November 30, 2007


9

Holiness calls for Christians to live lives marked by “the art of prayer” . . . But we know very well that prayer cannot be taken for granted. We have to learn how to pray from the lips of Jesus himself. Like the first disciples we ask, “Lord, teach us to pray!” (Lk 11:1). Prayer develops a conversation with Christ that makes us his close friends.

Yes, dear brothers and sisters, our Christian communities must become real “schools” of prayer—places where we learn how to meet Christ. That meeting doesn’t just happen when we ask Jesus for help, but also when we thank him, praise him, are in awe of him, and listen to him. We must pray until our hearts truly “fall in love.”

—John Paul IINovo Millennio Ineunte 32, 33

January 6, 2001


10

Dear young friends, I want to give the problems of your own families and of all the families in the world to your prayers. And that’s not all: I also have other things to ask you to pray for. The Pope counts on your prayers very much. We must pray together and pray hard, that all of us—billions of human beings—may become the family of God more and more, and be able to live in peace.

—John Paul IILetter to Children in the Year of the Family

1994


11

Yesterday morning I went peacefully to the Sistine Chapel to vote for a new pope. I could never have imagined the danger of what was about to happen . . . The two cardinals beside me whispered words of encouragement. One said: “Have courage! If the Lord gives you something difficult to carry, he also gives you the strength to carry it.” The other said: “Don’t be afraid; there are so many people in the whole world who are praying for the new Pope.” Then, when the moment of decision came, I accepted.

—John Paul IAngelus

August 27, 1978

It is not just the Pope who needs prayers, but the world. A Spanish author wrote: “The world is going wrong because there are more battles than prayers.” Let’s try to make sure that there are more prayers and fewer battles.

—John Paul IAngelus

September 3, 1978


praying with the holy father

Documents

holy fatherprayinghf

holy fatherlord

popes youve

holy fatheradoring jesus

catholic church

universal church

holy fatherhonoring

peter prayinghf