Thursday, June 4, 2009

1Pet 5, 5-7 Cast all your worries upon God

(1Pet 5, 5-7) Cast all your worries upon God
[5] Likewise, you younger members, be subject to the presbyters. And all of you, clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for: "God opposes the proud but bestows favor on the humble." [6] So humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. [7] Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you.
(CCC 322) Christ invites us to filial trust in the providence of our heavenly Father (cf. Mt 6:26-34), and St. Peter the apostle repeats: "Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you" (I Pt 5:7; cf. Ps 55:23). (CCC 2692) In prayer, the pilgrim Church is associated with that of the saints, whose intercession she asks. (CCC 2691) The church, the house of God, is the proper place for the liturgical prayer of the parish community. It is also the privileged place for adoration of the real presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament. The choice of a favorable place is not a matter of indifference for true prayer. - For personal prayer, this can be a "prayer corner" with the Sacred Scriptures and icons, in order to be there, in secret, before our Father (Cf. Mt 6:6). In a Christian family, this kind of little oratory fosters prayer in common. - In regions where monasteries exist, the vocation of these communities is to further the participation of the faithful in the Liturgy of the Hours and to provide necessary solitude for more intense personal prayer (Cf. PC 7). - Pilgrimages evoke our earthly journey toward heaven and are traditionally very special occasions for renewal in prayer. For pilgrims seeking living water, shrines are special places for living the forms of Christian prayer "in Church." (CCC 2693) The different schools of Christian spirituality share in the living tradition of prayer and are precious guides for the spiritual life. (CCC 2694) The Christian family is the first place for education in prayer. (CCC 2696) The most appropriate places for prayer are personal or family oratories, monasteries, places of pilgrimage, and above all the church, which is the proper place for liturgical prayer for the parish community and the privileged place for Eucharistic adoration.

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