Praying these Holy Days

These next three days, the Paschal Triduum, when we remember the great events of our faith, the mysteries of our faith, the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord, we are asked to pray more intensely. Hence we see many Christians, as individuals or in groups, flocking to Catholic Churches to spend time in quiet prayer before the Lord, especially during the Visita Iglesia or Vigil before the Blessed Sacrament Holy Thursday night.

Pope Benedict says something beautiful and worth noting when we pray these next three days and all throughout our life:

"To pray is not to step outside history and withdraw to our own private corner of happiness. When we pray properly we undergo a process of inner purification which opens us up to God and thus to our fellow human beings as well.

We must learn that we cannot pray against others. We must learn that we cannot ask for the superficial and comfortable things that we desire at this moment—that meagre, misplaced hope that leads us away from God. We must learn to purify our desires and our hopes (Spe Salvi 33).

Indeed, may we truly be purified by our prayers these days and be mindful of the needs of others and lift them up to God together with our own.