P R A Y I N G W I T H T H E C H U R C H
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INTENTION : |
That the members of all religions, may cooperate to alleviate the human sufferings of our time
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Suffering forms an integral part of our life. No human being is exempt from pain, sorrow or suffering on the physical, the psychological/mental or the spiritual level. Although some suffering can be an obvious result of a free choice, the roots of suffering remain an enigma and a mystery of life, especially when innocent people suffer. However, one can always attribute meaning to one's suffering, as pain often provokes questions about the meaning of life itself.
It is religion which gives the human person an ultimate reason to live. Each believer can therefore become a witness to transcendental life and thus collaborate with others to alleviate the suffering of every human person and the whole community.
We must not forget that "to pray is not to escape from history and the problems which it presents. On the contrary, it is to choose to face reality not on our own, but with the strength that comes from on high, the strength of truth and love which have their ultimate source in God. Faced with the treachery of evil, religious people can count on God, who absolutely wills what is good. They can pray to him to have the courage to face even the greatest difficulties with a sense of personal responsibility, never yielding to fatalism or impulsive reactions" (John Paul II).
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