THE YEAR OF PRAYER FROM ADVENT 2023 TO 2024
The Year of Prayer
In preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year “Pilgrims of Hope”, 2024 has been designated the Year of Prayer by Pope Francis.
There is a particular focus on the Our Father, and this presents us with a great opportunity to go back to the basics of prayer.
Accompanying Others in Prayer Someone once said that:
“prayer doesn’t help our relationship with God, prayer IS our relationship with God!”
This dialogue of prayer opens us to the God who accompanies us, as we see in the account of the Road to Emmaus. But we often need help to pray!
Jesus thought it was a worthwhile task to teach His disciples to pray in response to the request we hear in Luke 11:1, and through this teaching we receive what we call the Lord’s Prayer or Our Father. The Our Father is not just a prayer for us to pray, it is a model for our life of prayer – the Catechism of the Catholic Church brings this out very clearly in its fourth section on ‘Christian Prayer’ (2766)
Prayer is so vital to the life of a Christian that if we don’t pray it is hard to see how we can call ourselves Christian.
Prayer can be a key way to encourage others to open themselves to an encounter with God. In repeated research, many people in the UK say that they pray – a figure which surpasses the numbers of those who might associate themselves with a particular faith or religion.
Can we help or teach another person to pray in this Year of Prayer, and accompany them on their journey more deeply to the heart of Christ?
Towards the Year of Prayer Last week on Evangelii Gaudium Sunday (17 September 2023) we were encourage to reflect on our life of prayer: what we pray, how we pray, and why we pray. This is for two reasons:
1. To encourage us to deepen our prayer and love of God;
2. To help someone else to pray during the Year of Prayer.
With with an eye to Evangelii Gaudium Sunday in 2024, which we hope will be a particular focus of ‘missionary prayer’ in the our parish of St. Benedict’s.
Advent 2023 - The start of the Year of Prayer
Year of Prayer - Ideas & Resources
'Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him,
"Lord, teach us to pray..." '
- Luke 11:1
Why the 'Year of Prayer?'
In preparation for the Jubilee Year "Pilgrims of Hope", 2023-24 has been designated the Year of Prayer by Pope Francis, with a particular empahsis on the Our Father. This presents our Church with a significant opportunity to revisit the basics of prayer, and for us to become even more a people of prayer.
Can you teach at least one other person to pray, as Our Lord taught His disciples, during this Year of Prayer? Read on for more ideas and suggestions.
More will be added as we approach the Autumn and Season of Advent.
Beginning Advent 2023
Advent 2023 - The start of the Year of Prayer
The Year of Prayer is not a year about prayer, but a year for prayer. The image of Christ in the manger speaks of a God who wants an intimate relationship with His creation. Advent will see initiatives that we as a parishes can start engaging with.
Resources & Ideas
Throughout the Year of Prayer, the Office for Mission will suggest things that parishes can do, from online courses to books, parish outreach to formation in prayer. This is aimed at both enriching your prayer life and encouraging you to invite others to an encounter with God in prayer.