The Pope wanted to point out how "those last hours lived by Jesus in Jerusalem are the heart of the Gospel, because the event of the death and resurrection - like a flash of lightning - sheds light on all the rest of the story of Jesus" since they represent "the total salvation, the messianic salvation, that which gives hope in the definitive victory of life over death".
Prayer of intimacy in the midst of suffering
The Pope wanted to focus his catechesis on the prayer of Christ in the midst of the terrible suffering of his Passion and death on the Cross. Moments in which, assailed by mortal anguish, Jesus turns to God, calling him "Abba", "this Aramaic word - the language of Jesus - expresses intimacy and trust. Precisely when he feels the darkness that surrounds him, Jesus pierces it with that little word: Abbà! Jesus also prays on the cross, enveloped in darkness by the silence of God. And yet the word 'Father' appears once again on his lips", Pope Francis stressed, adding that "in the midst of the drama, in the atrocious pain of soul and body, Jesus prays with the words of the psalms; with the poor of the world, especially with those who are forgotten by all".
"In the last stretch of his journey, Jesus' prayer becomes more fervent."
Francis also dwelt on another point, linked to last week's catechesis: the prayer of intercession that Christ makes for each one of us, the so-called "priestly prayer" that Jesus addresses to the Father at the moment "when the Hour draws near, and Jesus makes the last stretch of his journey, his prayer becomes more fervent, and also his intercession on our behalf".
A prayer that reminds us, the Holy Father wanted to emphasize, that "even in the most painful of our sufferings, we are never alone. The grace that we do not only pray, but that, so to speak, we have been 'prayed', we are already welcomed into the dialogue of Jesus with the Father, in the communion of the Holy Spirit". An idea that he also picked up in his greeting to the pilgrims of different languages after the catechesis.
Full text of the catechesis
Dear brothers and sisters, good morning!
In this series of catecheses we have recalled on several occasions how prayer is one of the most evident characteristics of the life of Jesus. During his mission, Jesus immerses himself in it, because dialogue with the Father is the incandescent nucleus of his whole existence.
The Gospels testify how the prayer of Jesus became even more intense and frequent at the hour of his passion and death. In fact, these culminating events constitute the central core of Christian preaching, the kerygma: those last hours lived by Jesus in Jerusalem are the heart of the Gospel not only because to this narrative the evangelists reserve, in proportion, a greater space, but also because the event of the death and resurrection - like a thunderbolt - throws light on all the rest of the story of Jesus.
He was not a philanthropist who took care of human sufferings and illnesses: he was and is much more. In Him there is not only goodness: there is salvation, and not an episodic salvation - that which saves me from an illness or a moment of discouragement - but total salvation, the messianic salvation, that which makes us hope in the definitive victory of life over death.
In the days of his last Passover, we find Jesus fully immersed in prayer. He prays dramatically in the garden of Gethsemane, assailed by mortal anguish. Yet Jesus, precisely at that moment, addresses God by calling him "Abba", Daddy (cf. Mk 14:36). This Aramaic word - the language of Jesus - expresses intimacy and trust. Precisely when he senses the darkness that surrounds him, Jesus pierces it with that little word: Abba! Jesus also prays on the cross, enveloped in darkness because of God's silence. And yet on his lips the word "Father" appears once again. It is the most audacious prayer, because on the cross Jesus is the absolute intercessor: he prays for others, for everyone, also for those who condemn him, without anyone, except a poor wrongdoer, taking his side. "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do" (Lk 23:34).
In the midst of the drama, in the atrocious pain of soul and body, Jesus prays with the words of the psalms; with the poor of the world, especially with those forgotten by all, he pronounces the tragic words of Psalm 22: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me" (v. 2). On the cross the gift of the Father, who offers the unreserved love of his Son as the price of our salvation, is fulfilled: Jesus, burdened with all the sin of the world, descends into the abyss of separation from God. Nevertheless, he turns to him again and calls out: "My God!
Jesus remains immersed in his filiation even in that extreme moment, until his last breath, when he says: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit" (Lk 23:46). Jesus therefore prays in the decisive hours of his passion and death. With the resurrection, the Father will answer his prayer.
Jesus also prays in a very human way, displaying the anguish of his heart. He prays without ever renouncing his trust in God the Father.
To immerse ourselves in the mystery of the prayer of Jesus, so intense in the days of the Passion, we can dwell on what is the longest prayer we find in the Gospels and which is called the "priestly prayer" of Jesus, narrated in chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. The context is still Paschal: we are at the end of the Last Supper, during which Jesus institutes the Eucharist. This prayer - explains the Catechism - "embraces the whole Economy of creation and salvation, as well as his Death and Resurrection" (n. 2746). As the Hour draws near, and Jesus makes the last stretch of his journey, his prayer becomes more fervent, as well as his intercession on our behalf.
The Catechism explains that everything is summed up in that prayer: "God and the world, the Word and the flesh, eternal life and time, the love that gives itself and the sin that betrays it, the disciples present and those who will believe in him through his word, the humiliation and his glory" (n. 2748). The walls of the Upper Room stretch out to embrace the whole world; and the gaze of Jesus does not fall only on the disciples, his guests, but looks at all of us, as if he wanted to say to each of us: "I have prayed for you, at the Last Supper and on the wood of the Cross" (n. 2748).
Even in the most painful of our sufferings, we are never alone. This seems to me the most beautiful thing to remember, concluding this cycle of catecheses dedicated to the theme of prayer: the grace that we not only pray, but that, so to speak, we have been "prayed", we are already welcomed into the dialogue of Jesus with the Father, in the communion of the Holy Spirit.
We have been loved in Christ Jesus, and also at the hour of the passion, death and resurrection everything has been offered for us. And so, with prayer and with life, we can only say: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, now and forever, for ever and ever. Amen.
Dear brothers and sisters:
Today we conclude our catechesis on prayer. One of the most evident characteristics of Jesus' life is his dialogue with the Father in prayer and, as the Gospels testify, this dialogue became even more intense at the hour of his passion and death. In the Garden of Olives, Jesus prays in fear and anguish, and addresses God by calling him "Abba," that is, "Papa," an Aramaic word that expresses intimacy and trust.
Also in the darkness and silence of the cross Jesus invokes God as Father. In that
moment, in the midst of excruciating pain, Jesus is the absolute intercessor. He prays for others, for everyone, even for those who condemn him. He pleads with words from the psalms, uniting himself to the poor and forgotten of the world. He relieves the anguish of his heart in a very human way, without ceasing to trust fully in the Father, conscious of his divine filiation until his last breath on the cross, when he delivers his soul into the hands of the Father. In order to enter into the mystery of Jesus' prayer, we will dwell on the so-called "priestly prayer," found in chapter 17 of the Gospel of John. The context of this prayer is paschal.
Jesus addresses the Father at the end of the Last Supper, when he institutes the Eucharist. In his prayer he goes beyond the diners, he intercedes and embraces the whole world, his gaze reaches out to us all. This reminds us that, even in the midst of the greatest suffering, we are not alone; we have already been welcomed into Jesus' dialogue with the Father, in communion with the Holy Spirit.
I cordially greet the Spanish-speaking faithful, of whom there are so many. As we conclude these catecheses on prayer, let us not forget that Jesus not only "loved" us first, but also "prayed" for us first. Jesus has prayed for us first. Ç
Therefore, with our prayer and our life let us say to him: Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, now and forever, for ever and ever. Amen. May God bless you. Thank you very much.
