GENERAL AUDIENCE: LITURGY OF THE HOURS, PRAYER OF THE CHURCH

VATICAN CITY, APR 4, 2001 (VIS) - The theme of John Paul II's catechesis during the general audience, held this morning in St. Peter's Square, was: "The Liturgy of the Hours, Prayer of the Church."

"In singing the Psalms," the Holy Father said, "the Christian experiences a type of harmony between the Spirit present in the Scriptures and the Spirit dwelling in him through the grace of Baptism."

John Paul II affirmed that "along with the presence of the Holy Spirit, another important dimension is that Christ continues his priestly office through His Bride, the Church, and the Liturgy of the Hours is the Bride's unceasing praise of God." In this way the Liturgy of the Hours "has the character of public prayer."

"Christian prayer is born, nurtured and developed around the event par excellence of the faith, the Paschal Mystery of Christ. Thus, in the morning and the evening, at the rising and setting of the sun, Easter is recalled, the passage of the Lord from death to life. ... The hours of the day evoke the story of the Lord's passion, and the Third Hour also recalls the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The prayer at night, finally, has an eschatological character, reminding Christians to be vigilant in awaiting the return of Christ."

In conclusion, the Pope pointed out that by patterning the prayer in this way "Christians respond to the command of the Lord to 'pray at all times,' without forgetting, however, that all of one's life must in some way become a prayer."

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