Oct 1, 2025 Written by 

State of Conscience, First Front, First Apostolate

1. We are gathered again today, as we are every Sunday, for the common prayer of the Angelus. The reading from today's liturgy (17th Sunday of Ordinary Time) encourages us to reflect on prayer. "Lord, teach us to pray . . ." (Lk 11:1), says one of his disciples to Christ in the Gospel. And he answers them by recalling the example of a man, yes, an importunate man, who, finding himself in need, knocks on his friend's door even at midnight. But he gets what he asks for. Jesus, therefore, encourages us to have a similar attitude in prayer: that of ardent perseverance. He says: "Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you . . ." (Lk 11:9).

A model of such persevering, humble and, at the same time, trusting prayer is found in the Old Testament, in Abraham, who pleads with God for the salvation of Sodom and Gomorrah, if at least ten righteous people would be found there.

2. Thus we must encourage ourselves more and more to prayer. We must often remember Christ's exhortation: 'Ask and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened to you'. In particular, we must remember it when we lose confidence or the will to pray.

We must also always relearn how to pray. It often happens that we refrain from praying with the excuse that we do not know how to pray. If we really do not know how to pray, all the more then it is necessary to learn it. This is important for everyone, and it seems to be especially important for young people, who often neglect the prayer they learned as children because it seems to them too childish, naive, shallow. Instead, such a state of consciousness constitutes an indirect stimulus to deepen one's own prayer, to make it more reflective, more mature, to seek support for it in the word of God Himself and in the Holy Spirit, who "intercedes for us persistently, with inexpressible groanings", as St Paul writes (Rom 8:26).

3. I know that many people in Italy, in Poland and throughout the world pray for the Pope, and many join with him in prayer, embracing in their hearts the problems that are the object of his entreaties to God. On today's occasion, I would like to say how enormously grateful I am for this remembrance and for this union in prayer. It is a great help and support, for which I do not cease to thank God daily. With this act of gratitude I embrace all my benefactors, known and unknown, and especially those who complete their prayers with the spiritual sacrifice of suffering.

And while for this I give thanks publicly, on today's occasion, I do not cease to repeat to myself and others: 'Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you'. Yes, dear brothers and sisters. There is an enormous need for prayer, for the great and unceasing prayer of the Church; there is a need for fervent, humble and persevering prayer. It is the first front where good and evil, in our world, confront each other. It makes way for good and serves to overcome evil. Prayer obtains divine grace and mercy for the world. It elevates men to the dignity, which the Son of God gave them, when, united with him, they repeat: "Our Father".

We also rightly speak of the apostolate of prayer. Rightly there is an association that bears this name. Prayer is the first apostolate, the fundamental and most universal one for each and everyone.

[Pope John Paul II, Angelus 27 July 1980]

21 Last modified on Wednesday, 01 October 2025 05:14
don Giuseppe Nespeca

Giuseppe Nespeca è architetto e sacerdote. Cultore della Sacra scrittura è autore della raccolta "Due Fuochi due Vie - Religione e Fede, Vangeli e Tao"; coautore del libro "Dialogo e Solstizio".

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Those living beside us, who may be scorned and sidelined because they are foreigners, can instead teach us how to walk on the path that the Lord wishes (Pope Francis)
Chi vive accanto a noi, forse disprezzato ed emarginato perché straniero, può insegnarci invece come camminare sulla via che il Signore vuole (Papa Francesco)
Many saints experienced the night of faith and God’s silence — when we knock and God does not respond — and these saints were persevering (Pope Francis)
Tanti santi e sante hanno sperimentato la notte della fede e il silenzio di Dio – quando noi bussiamo e Dio non risponde – e questi santi sono stati perseveranti (Papa Francesco)
In some passages of Scripture it seems to be first and foremost Jesus’ prayer, his intimacy with the Father, that governs everything (Pope Francis)
In qualche pagina della Scrittura sembra essere anzitutto la preghiera di Gesù, la sua intimità con il Padre, a governare tutto (Papa Francesco)
It is necessary to know how to be silent, to create spaces of solitude or, better still, of meeting reserved for intimacy with the Lord. It is necessary to know how to contemplate. Today's man feels a great need not to limit himself to pure material concerns, and instead to supplement his technical culture with superior and detoxifying inputs from the world of the spirit [John Paul II]
Occorre saper fare silenzio, creare spazi di solitudine o, meglio, di incontro riservato ad un’intimità col Signore. Occorre saper contemplare. L’uomo d’oggi sente molto il bisogno di non limitarsi alle pure preoccupazioni materiali, e di integrare invece la propria cultura tecnica con superiori e disintossicanti apporti provenienti dal mondo dello spirito [Giovanni Paolo II]
This can only take place on the basis of an intimate encounter with God, an encounter which has become a communion of will, even affecting my feelings (Pope Benedict)
Questo può realizzarsi solo a partire dall'intimo incontro con Dio, un incontro che è diventato comunione di volontà arrivando fino a toccare il sentimento (Papa Benedetto)
We come to bless him because of what he revealed, eight centuries ago, to a "Little", to the Poor Man of Assisi; - things in heaven and on earth, that philosophers "had not even dreamed"; - things hidden to those who are "wise" only humanly, and only humanly "intelligent"; - these "things" the Father, the Lord of heaven and earth, revealed to Francis and through Francis (Pope John Paul II)
Veniamo per benedirlo a motivo di ciò che egli ha rivelato, otto secoli fa, a un “Piccolo”, al Poverello d’Assisi; – le cose in cielo e sulla terra, che i filosofi “non avevano nemmeno sognato”; – le cose nascoste a coloro che sono “sapienti” soltanto umanamente, e soltanto umanamente “intelligenti”; – queste “cose” il Padre, il Signore del cielo e della terra, ha rivelato a Francesco e mediante Francesco (Papa Giovanni Paolo II)
We are faced with the «drama of the resistance to become saved persons» (Pope Francis)
Siamo davanti al «dramma della resistenza a essere salvati» (Papa Francesco)
That 'always seeing the face of the Father' is the highest manifestation of the worship of God. It can be said to constitute that 'heavenly liturgy', performed on behalf of the whole universe [John Paul II]
Quel “vedere sempre la faccia del Padre” è la manifestazione più alta dell’adorazione di Dio. Si può dire che essa costituisce quella “liturgia celeste”, compiuta a nome di tutto l’universo [Giovanni Paolo II]

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