Pope: Prayer gives meaning to the apostolate

By Christopher Wells

In brief, extemporaneous remarks to a delegation from the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network (also known as the Apostleship of Prayer), Pope Francis thanked the group for all they do “to sustain in the Church, in the laity and also in consecrated or ordained persons – this ‘mystique’ of prayer.”

He said, “I value the work that you do, which is ecclesial and was born in the bosom of the Society of Jesus.”

Prayer, he said, “gives meaning to the apostolate,” whether undertaken by lay people, clerics, or religious; while on the other hand, “action,” even if it is religious in nature, becomes a kind of business enterprise when it is not accompanied by prayer.

He reminded his listeners that the first duty of bishops – and indeed, of every Christian – is to pray. “Otherwise,” the Pope said, “we run the risk of becoming a purely natural, worldly institution, with a political type of work.”