Vatican City, Sep 26, 2012 / 09:42 am
Pope Benedict says that the public prayer of the Church, known as the liturgy, is a wonderful school of prayer which raises the human heart to God like no other form of worship.
"It is in the liturgy that we 'lift up our hearts,' opening ourselves to the word of God as we gather with our brethren in a prayer which rises within us, and which is directed to the Father, through the Son, in the Spirit," the Pope said at his Sept. 26 general audience in St. Peter's Square.
"As the Second Vatican Council teaches, it is by means of the liturgy that Christ our Redeemer and High Priest continues the work of our redemption in, with, and through his Church. This is the great marvel of the liturgy: God acts, while we are caught up in his action," the Pope said.
He offered his reflections as part of an ongoing weekly exploration of the role of prayer in the story of salvation.