My thoughts on prayer…

Friend, I invite you to reflect on prayer and drawing closer to God through the Scriptures in the latest issue of Evangelization & Culture.  How often as a priest I have heard the plaintive cry "Father, pray for me!" or "Father, pray for my mom, who has just gone into the hospital" or "Father, pray for my kids; they're feeling kind of lost."  Those urgent requests taught me a lesson that John Paul II knew very well: at the end of the day, all prayer is a form of petition. In this issue of Evangelization & Culture, dedicated to prayer, you'll read about the art of prayer; about the prayer lives of figures like the Desert Fathers, St. Monica, and Flannery O'Connor; about cultivating prayer in high school students and learning from the prayers of young people with intellectual disabilities; and, of course, about drawing closer to the Word of God—both Christ himself, who is the very Logos of the Father, and the Sacred Scriptures—through prayer. You'll also read excerpts from my friend Fr. Paul Murray's new book Preachers at Prayer: Soundings in the Dominican Spiritual Tradition, as well as from my own Introduction to Prayer.  Though I certainly hope that all of this reading teaches you something about prayer, the most important thing is that you take the time to do it!  May this issue prompt you to raise your own heart and mind to God this day and throughout the Lenten and Easter seasons. If you'd like to receive a copy of this issue, visit wof.org/prayer-journal.  GET A FREE JOURNAL Peace, Bishop Robert Barron Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, PO Box 97330, Washington, DC 20090-7330, United States Manage Your Email Preferences