The Quotable John Paul II

• May the Eucharist Be a Point of Reference For Your Lives
• Prayer of the Holy Father at the Conclusion of the Rosary
• Prayer of the Holy Father for All the Innocent Children in the World
• Prayer Helps Us to Rediscover the Loving Face of God
• 13th World Day of the Sick Prayer

May the Eucharist Be a Point of Reference For Your Lives

VATICAN CITY, JAN 22, 2005 (VIS) - "In order to achieve correct discernment," the Pope said, "it is essential to hold an intense and trusting dialogue at various levels, with superiors and fellow students. Constant attention to the expectations of the Church and of the world, and especially of the poor, are also necessary."

The Holy Father asked the seminarians to combine their theological studies with meditation on the Word of God and to maintain "an intense personal dialogue with Jesus, our divine Master. May the Eucharist be, above all, the point of reference for your lives. ... May it become in everyday life the source of grace from which your actions derive, and the apex of perfection to which you constantly tend."

After recalling that he visited the "Almo Collegio" 25 years ago, John Paul II indicated that in order to commemorate that date the seminary had recently organized a congress on the theology of the priesthood and on the "historical forms that, from the beginning, have characterized the formative itinerary of your institute. May this important anniversary," the Holy Father concluded, "be a further stimulus for you to grow in communion with Peter's Successor and in love for the Church."

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Prayer of the Holy Father at the Conclusion of the Rosary

(Esplanade of the Basilica of the Rosary, August 14, 2004)

Hail Mary,
poor and humble Woman,
Blessed by the Most High!
Virgin of hope,
dawn of a new era,
We join in your song of praise,
to celebrate the Lord’s mercy,
to proclaim the coming of
the Kingdom
and the full liberation
of humanity.

Hail Mary,
lowly handmaid of the Lord,
Glorious Mother of Christ!
Faithful Virgin,
holy dwelling-place of the Word,
Teach us to persevere
in listening
to the Word,
and to be docile
to the voice of the Spirit,
attentive to his promptings
in the depths
of our conscience
and to his manifestations
in the events of history.

Hail Mary, Woman of sorrows,
Mother of the living!
Virgin spouse beneath the Cross,
the new Eve,
Be our guide along the paths of
the world.
Teach us to experience and
to spread the love of Christ,
to stand with you before
the innumerable crosses
on which your Son
is still crucified.

Hail Mary, woman of faith,
First of the disciples!
Virgin Mother of the Church,
help us always
to account for the hope
that is in us,
with trust in human goodness
and the Father’s love.
Teach us to build up the world
beginning from within:
in the depths of silence and prayer,
in the joy of fraternal love,
in the unique fruitfulness
of the Cross.

Holy Mary, Mother of believers,
Our Lady of Lourdes,
pray for us. Amen.

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Prayer of the Holy Father for All the Innocent Children in the World

Brothers and Sisters, accepting the Holy
Father’s invitation, let us raise our prayer to
God. Let us say together: Lord, hear us!

1. For the children of Beslan who were
torn from life with brutal violence while
they were preparing to start the new school
year, and for their parents and friends killed
with them: that God in His mercy will throw
open the doors of His house to them, let us
pray:

Resp.: Lord, hear us!

2. For the injured, for the victims’ fam
ilies and for all the members of the Beslan
community who are mourning with broken
hearts the death of their loved ones: that,
supported by the light of faith and comfort
ed by the solidarity of so many persons
throughout the world, they may be able to
forgive those who have harmed them, let us
pray:

Resp.: Lord, hear us!

3. For all the children in so many parts
of the world who are suffering and dying
because of the violence and abuse of adults:
that the Lord will enable them to feel the
comfort of His love and melt the hardness
of hearts that is the cause of their suffering,
let us pray:

Resp.: Lord, hear us!

4. For the many people abducted in the
tormented land of Iraq, and, in particular,
for the two young Italian volunteer workers
kidnapped yesterday in Baghdad: that they
may all be treated with respect and quickly
restored unharmed to the affection of their
loved ones, let us pray:

Resp.: Lord, hear us!

5. For justice and peace in the world,
that the Lord may illumine the minds of
those who are subjected to the fatal sugges
tion of violence and open all hearts to dia
logue and reconciliation, so as to build a
future of hope and peace, let us pray:

Resp.: Lord, hear us!

The Holy Father:

God, our Father, you created men and
women so that they might live together in
communion. Make us understand that
every child is a treasure of humanity and
that violence to others is a dead end with no
future. We ask you this through the inter
cession of the Virgin Mother of Jesus Christ
Our Lord, who lives and reigns for ever and
ever.

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Prayer Helps Us to Rediscover the Loving Face of God

VATICAN CITY, JAN 26, 2005 (VIS) - In today's general audience, which was held in the Paul VI Hall, the Pope spoke on Psalm 114, and the subject of "thanksgiving."

The psalmist, John Paul II affirmed, "expresses loving recognition to the Lord, after his intense supplications were answered: 'I love the Lord because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He inclined his ear to me, therefore I will call on Him as long as I live.' This declaration of love is immediately followed by a vivid description of the mortal danger that had been menacing the psalmist's life."

 "From that tragic abyss," continued the Pope, "a cry arose towards the only One who can extend a hand and lift the anguished psalmist from that inextricable turmoil: 'O Lord. I beseech you, save my life!'"

"The call for help addressed to the Lord that we have just heard in the psalm," said the Holy Father, "reminds us of the great value of prayer. The believer clings to the Lord as his only hope of salvation and expresses his grateful love for the protection he receives."

The Holy Father highlighted the fact that "authentic faith always sees God as love, even if at times we find it difficult to understand His actions fully. It always remains certain that 'the Lord preserves the simple', and so in misery and solitude you can always rely upon Him."

 "Prayer helps us to rediscover the loving face of God. He never abandons his people but guarantees that, notwithstanding trials and suffering, good triumphs in the end."  

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13th World Day of the Sick Prayer
Held at the Shrine of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Yaounde, Cameroon, Africa. 

O Mary, Immaculate Virgin, Woman of
suffering and hope, be kind to every suffer
ing person, obtain fullness of life for each
one.

Turn your maternal gaze especially
upon those in Africa whose need is
extreme, struck down by AIDS or other
mortal illness.

Look upon the mothers who are
mourning their children; look upon the
grandparents who lack the resources to
support their orphaned grandchildren.

Embrace them all, keep them close to
your Mother’s heart.

Queen of Africa and of the whole world,
Virgin Most Holy, pray for us!

-- From the Vatican Information Service