Unpublished letter by Pope Benedict XVI offers insight into thoughts of late pontiff

(LifeSiteNews) — A formerly unpublished letter by Pope Benedict XVI, penned shortly before the pontiff’s death, offers deep reflections on prayer

The letter appears in the book La fede del futuro, the fourth installment of a collection of previously unpublished texts by Benedict. The series features a preface from Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin.

Parolin writes that, “The theme of the future is increasingly becoming the subject of theological reflection on faith, because it is by no means certain that humanity will continue to believe in God.”

He said that Benedict is concerned about the future of faith as well as “the uncertainty and confusion prevailing in the world, which are causes of the loss of hope and of widespread fear.”

The cardinal said that the unprecedented acceleration of historical events of our time leads to “extreme possibilities” but also “extreme dangers.”

The future “is no longer awaited with hope but with apprehension; it has even become a nightmare for many.”

The letter by Joseph Ratzinger is dated April 27, 2021, in Vatican City, and titled: “Introduction: Thoughts on Christian Prayer.” Benedict offers a concise yet deep reflection on prayer, Christ’s role as mediator between God and man, and the centrality of the Eucharist.

“In general terms, prayer is the fundamental religious act: it is, in some way, the attempt to enter concretely into contact with God,” the late Roman Pontiff writes. “The peculiarity of Christian prayer lies in the fact that one prays together with Jesus Christ and, at the same time, prays to Him.”

“Jesus is at once man and God and can thus be the bridge, the pontifex, who makes it possible to overcome the infinite abyss between God and man. In this sense, Christ is also, generally speaking, the ontological possibility of prayer.”

“Moreover, Christian prayer, insofar as it is prayer together with Jesus Christ, is always anchored in the Eucharist, leads to it, and takes place within it,” Benedict stated. “The Eucharist is prayer fulfilled with one’s whole being. It is the critical synthesis of cult and true worship.”

Citing the Church Fathers, the former pope said that the Eucharist was “the end of paganism” on the one hand, “and on the other as characterizing Christianity itself as prayer.”

“This fundamental orientation of Jesus’ dramatic history of prayer enables us to understand the whole realism with which He went about His proclamation.”

“Asking God also and above all means purifying our desires so that we can place them before God and so that they may be inserted into the ‘we’ of the family of Christ,” Benedict concluded.

The entire letter translated into English can be found at the Catholic Herald here.