Page 3 - Michael 2024 March

Letter from the Editor
2024, a year dedicated to prayer
On January 21st, the Sunday of the Word of
God, Pope Francis announced the beginning of a
year of prayer to prepare for Holy Year 2025, the
Great Jubilee Year. According to the Holy Father,
2024 should allow “a rediscovery of the great value
and absolute necessity of prayer. I ask you to inten- ing that His will be done, that He give us our daily
sify your prayer in order to live this time of grace.” bread, that we be forgiven as we forgive others,
The Catechism of the Catholic Church has an
entire section on prayer. St. John Damascene said:
“Prayer is the raising of one’s mind and heart to
God or the requesting of good things from God.”
Prayer is what unites us to God, and the means of
obtaining His graces, because it allows us to hum-
bly acknowledge that we need
God’s help and forgiveness,
and that without Him we can
do nothing.
There are prayers of praise
and of thanksgiving, but the
fundamental prayer is that of
petition. “Ask and you shall re-
ceive,” Jesus tells us. However,
as well as asking favours for our-
selves, we can and should also
ask for help for others: peace
in the world, the conversion of
sinners, the deliverance of souls
in purgatory, etc. This is known
as intercessory prayer.
God’s grace can also be ob-
tained through the sacraments, In prayer, we entrust our hearts to Jesus and in society. This is what
but even in the absence of a
priest, prayer is accessible to everyone at any time
and in any place. St. John Chrysostom wrote: “It
is possible to offer fervent prayer even while walk- page 12). Love of Jesus and love of neighbour in-
ing in public or strolling alone, or seated in your
shop ... while buying or selling ... or even while
cooking.” Praying is a vital necessity. St. Alphon- (see page 14).
sus de Liguori said: “Whoever prays will certainly
save himself; whoever does not pray will certainly
be damned.”
It is enough to start talking to God, to say “I
love you” or “Help me, please come to my aid.”
As Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus said, “For me,
prayer is a surge of the heart. It is a simple turn
toward heaven, a cry of recognition and love, em-
bracing both trial and joy.” Even by saying, “Lord I
don’t know how to pray,” we have begun to pray.
One day, when Jesus had finished a time of
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prayer, one of his disciples asked: “Lord, teach
us to pray, as John taught his disciples” (Lk 11:1).
It was then that Jesus entrusted to his disciples
and to the Church the Lord’s Prayer, the beautiful
Our Father which contains seven requests, includ-
and so on.
There are several forms of prayer recom-
mended by the Church, including the Liturgy of
the Hours (Lauds and Vespers) and the recitation
of the psalms. The most accessible prayer, the
one recommended by the Blessed Virgin Mary in
all her apparitions, is the Ros-
ary. We recite the Hail Mary,
Our Father and Glory Be while
meditating on the mysteries in
the lives of Jesus and Mary. In
these difficult times, praying
the Rosary is much needed.
In this issue, we continue
to reflect on the various as-
pects of the life of Louis Even,
the founder of MICHAEL, who
passed away 50 years ago.
The whole earth belongs to the
Lord, and if Jesus reigns in our
hearts, Satan will have no place
there, and God’s justice will be
accomplished in our actions
Louis Even explained by medi-
tating on the hymn “We want God” (see page 4).
Louis Even was born into a family of saints (see
spired him to establish the work of MICHAEL (see
page 9), and to be indignant in the face of injustice
The Movement Louis Even began denounces
anything which stands in the way of God’s plan.
First and foremost is the current financial system,
which creates money in the form of unpayable
debts (see page 16). The solution provided in the
system of Economic Democracy (see page 18), en-
sures that the goods of the earth reach all human
beings. God is always at work, ready to help us if
we pray and ask Him. This is what the lives of the
saints show us, like that of Saint Mary of the Incar-
nation (see page 28). Enjoy reading! v
Alain Pilote, Editor
MICHAEL March/April 2024 3