By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi: Pope Francis has chosen Asia for his monthly prayer intention for November.
The Pope has released a video message accompanying his monthly prayer intention, “To witness to the Gospel in Asia.”
He wants Christians in Asia bear witness to the Gospel in word and deed and promote dialogue, peace, and mutual understanding, especially with those of other religions
The video message find the “most striking feature of Asia” in its peoples “who are heirs of ancient cultures, religions and traditions.”
It acknowledges that the Church, being a minority on the continent, poses intense challenges for it. “We must promote dialogue among religions and cultures.”
The prayer intention assumes significance since the Pope plans to visit two Asian countries – Bangladesh and Myanmar, later in November.
The Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network of the Apostleship of Prayer developed the “Pope Video” initiative to assist in the worldwide dissemination of monthly intentions of the Holy Father in relation to the challenges facing humanity, reports Vatican Radio.
The Apostleship of Prayer was set up in 1844 by a group of Jesuit seminarians at Vals, France. Eager to join the missions in India and America, they failed to see how their dull study routines would make them better missionaries. In response, their spiritual director, Jesuit Father Francois Xavier Gautrelet held a conference where he stressed that the salvation of souls was a supernatural goal and could therefore be achieved most effectively through supernatural means.
“Be apostles now, apostles of prayer! Offer everything you are doing each day in union with the Heart of our Lord for what he wishes: the spread of the Kingdom for the salvation of souls.”
Father Gautrelet taught these seminarians to offer each day to God. Thus, their prayer, study, work, recreation, headaches would advance the work of the missions as much as their direct work in the field. The seminarians took this idea of a Daily Offering to the surrounding villages. This soon was formalized into what is now known as the Morning, or Daily, Offering.
In 1861, Jesuit Father Henry Ramière adapted the organization for parishes and various Catholic institutions, and made it known by his book “The Apostleship of Prayer,” which has been translated into many languages. In 1879 the association received its first statutes, approved by Pius IX, and in 1896 these were revised and approved by Leo XIII.
The Apostleship of Prayer has always operated under the auspices of the Society of Jesus. The morning offering and prayers are the basic membership requirements, and in many countries the apostleship has no registration, no groups, no fees, and no special meetings.
In 1880s Pope Leo XIII saw how the simple, profound way of life spread, so he announced prayer intentions for every month to go with the Daily Offering. They would bring members closer to each other and closer to Christ. Pope Pius XI added a specific missionary intention for each month in 1929. These intentions are prayed specifically for those who make a commitment to spreading the Gospel around the world. The Pope still announces two monthly intentions.
On its 100th anniversary in 1944 Pope Pius XII called it “one of the most efficacious means for the salvation of souls, since it concerns prayer and prayer in common.” He commended the organization for its goal: “to pray assiduously for the needs of the Church and to try to satisfy them through daily offering.”
In 1985 Pope John Paul II called the Apostleship of Prayer “a precious treasure from the Pope’s heart and the Heart of Christ.”
By the year 2000 the Apostleship of Prayer had over 40 million members, 50 different Messengers of the Sacred Heart, and 40 other periodicals.