January 23, 2019 — A good spokesperson always helps when we are promoting something. How about having Pope Francis as the spokesperson? On January 20th, Pope Francis unveiled his own user profile in the App Click To Pray during the Angelus prayer at noon. This app has already been in existence for a few years, and Pope Francis gave it a strong endorsement by personally using it.
Click To Pray promotes the works of a traditionally Jesuit apostolate (the Apostleship of Prayer, which is now known as the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network); it is the promotion of a spiritual practice with a contemporary tool. Available in multiple languages, Click To Pray includes an adaptation of the traditional Morning Offering prayer to centre our day on Jesus Christ; a prayer intention for both the afternoon and the evening; as well as the monthly prayer intention of the Pope as narrated by Pope Francis himself in the Pope Video. Praying together and for the same intentions can be a great sign of unity. Praying with the Pope means that we care about what Pope Francis cares about, which is perfectly in line with what St. Ignatius calls “Thinking with the Church” in the Spiritual Exercises.
Having prayer intentions at our fingertips can come in handy during a busy work day; seeing others around the world engaging in prayer through the app can provide a sense of solidarity. It is important to remember that Click To Pray is not meant to be just another app that feeds our addictive behaviour towards our smart phones. It is a tool that is designed to help us build a lifestyle that is centred on prayer. We can all use some help when it comes to establishing good habits.
(Father Edmund Lo, SJ is the national coordinator of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network)
Do you want to learn more about vocations to the Society of Jesus? Visit www.BeAJesuit.org for more information.
