A Word from Africa No. 24
Reflections on the Pope's Apostleship of Prayer General Intentions
From his repeated references to this continent, Pope Benedict has always shown his keen concern for Africa. So now, in the first set of monthly intentions chosen personally by himself, in his January Mission Intention he invites us all to pray with him for its people. No wonder then, that this intention not only reflects his General Intention for January, peace and understanding amongst peoples, but embraces too, the intentions for the next three months.
In February, our prayer goes out to the world's poor and hungry - not only a humanitarian problem in Africa, but an ever-present threat to peace. In March and April, when the Church joins in a special way with Christ in his redeeming Paschal action, culminating in the Easter gift of the Holy Spirit, we are invited to concentrate on the spiritual means by which hearts will be converted to love and reconciliation. In March, we pray that the Word of God, listened to and contemplated, may be lived and loved. Then in April, celebrating Holy Week and Easter, we pray that every Christian may be guided by the Holy Spirit in a joyful response to the call to sanctity, living to the full our love for God and neighbour.
Those elsewhere, who follow developments in Africa through the media, may find it difficult to visualise all the conflict between and within many of the countries of this vast continent and the suffering this brings to its people - especially women and children, but we can be assured that Christ's way of selfless loving is the surest way to peace and prosperity for Africa and for our world. For this we pray each day as we say, 'May your kingdom come', with compassionate thought, one hopes, for the starving people of Africa.
James Fitzsimons SJ