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2619 That is why the Canticle of
Mary,9’ the Magnifi cat (Latin) or Megalynei
(Byzantine), is the song both of the Mother of God and of
the Church; the song of the Daughter of Zion and of the new
People of God; the song of thanksgiving for the fullness of
graces poured out in the economy of salvation and the song
of the ‘poor’ 724 whose hope is met by the
fulfilment of the promises made to our ancestors, ‘to
Abraham and to his posterity for ever’. 2620 Jesus’filialprayer is the perfect model ofprayer in the New Testament. Often done in solitude and in secret, the prayer of Jesus involves a loving adherence to the will of the Father even to the Cross and an absolute confidence in being heard. 2621 In his teaching,Jesus teaches his disciples to pray with a purified heart, with lively and persevering faith, with filial boldness. He calls them to vigilance and invites them to present their petitions to God in his name.Jesus Christ himself answers prayers addressed to him. 2622 The prayers of the Virgin Mary, in her Fiat
and Magnificat, are characterized by the generous
offering of her whole being in faith. 2623 On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of the
Promise was 731 poured out on the disciples, gathered
‘together in one place’.92 While awaiting the
Spirit, ‘all these with one accord devoted themselves
to prayer.’93 The Spirit who teaches the Church and
recalls for her everything that Jesus said94 was also to
form her in the life of prayer. 2624
In the first community of Jerusalem, believers
‘devoted 1342 themselves to the apostles’
teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the
prayers.’95 This sequence is characteristic of the
Church’s prayer: founded on the apostolic faith;
authenticated by charity; nourished in the Eucharist.
2625 In the first place these are prayers that the
faithful hear and read in the Scriptures, but also that they
make their own — especially those of the Psalms, in
view of their fulfilment in Christ.~6 The Holy Spirit, who
thus keeps the memory of Christ alive in his 1092 |
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