In this age of relativism and
secularism, in which "God seems to disappear from the horizon of some
people or become a reality to which we remain indifferent," but at the
same time one in which we are witnessing a religious reawakening, of the
"need for spirituality," which shows how the prediction of those who,
since the Enlightenment, heralded the demise of religions and praised an
absolute reason, detached from faith, a reason that would dispel the
darkness of religious dogmatism and would dissolve the world of the
sacred, restoring to man his freedom, his dignity and his independence
from God has failed". "The experience of the last century, with
the two tragic world wars has undermined that progress which the
autonomous reason, man without God seemed to guarantee".
In a continuing series of reflections, which started last week
and are dedicated to prayer, Benedict XVI spoke today to 30 thousand
people in St. Peter's Square for the general audience about how "prayer
and religious meaning are part man throughout history "that" there was
no great civilization from times immemorial to the present day, which
was not religious "digital man just like the caveman, looks for
religious ways to overcome his limitations”.
Man, in short, is religious in nature "because" the Creator's
image is imprinted in his being and he feels the need to find a light to
give answers to questions about the profound sense of reality; answers
he can not find in himself, in progress or in empirical science. "
"Besides, life without a transcendent horizon be without perfect meaning
and happiness', for which we all yearn, naturally projected towards the future, a future yet to be fulfilled."
The Pope, in this regard recalled that the Vatican II document,
Nostra Aetate, "said in the various religions man is looking for the
answers to the enigma of the human condition:" the nature of man - who
am I? - The meaning and purpose of our lives, good and evil, the origin
and purpose of sorrow, The path to true happiness, death, trial and
punishment after death, and finally the last unutterable mystery which
engulfs our being, where do we come from and what are we striving
towards". Man "no matter how much he is deceived and still deludes
himself today, experiences first hand that he is not enough for
himself."
Man "carries a thirst for infinity, a longing for eternity, a
search of beauty, a desire for love, a need for light and truth, which
lead him to the Absolute, man bears a desire for God".
This "attraction
to God, that God himself has placed in man is the soul of prayer, which
then takes on many forms and modalities according to history, time, the
moment, grace and even the sin of each of us" .
Prayer is an experience in every religion and culture, it is
not tied to a particular context, rather it is inscribed in the hearts
of every person and every civilization.
Prayer is an attitude, before being a series of practices and
formulas, a way of being in front of God before being an act of worship
or pronunciation of words. " It has its centre in the depths of the
person and is not easily decipherable, and, for the same reason, may be
subject to misunderstanding and mystification. In this sense we can
understand the words: praying is difficult" because "In fact, prayer, is
the place par excellence for gratuitous tension toward the Unseen, the
Unexpected and the Ineffable. Therefore, 'the experience of prayer is a
challenge to all, a 'grace' to be invoked, a gift from Him to which we
turn".
In this "looking at Another, in this going beyond is the essence
of prayer as an experience of a reality that goes beyond the sensible
and the contingent."
"But only God that is revealed does the human
search find fulfilment. Prayer is openness and elevation of the heart to
God, it becomes a personal relationship with him. "
And God continues
to call man to the first mysterious meeting in prayer. " As the
Catechism says: "This loving step of the faithful God, always comes
first in prayer, the first step is always an answer."
Let us learn - the Pope concluded – to spend greater time
before God, the God who has revealed himself in Jesus Christ, let us
learn to recognize in the silence, deep within ourselves the voice that
calls us and leads us to the depth of our existence, the source of life,
the source of salvation for us to go beyond the limit of our lives and
open ourselves to the extent of God, to a relationship with He who is
infinite love".