Praying for the Pope...um, just why, exactly?

I think you misunderstand the meaning of prayer. The Pope is at the end of his life, undergoing a process none of us will escape. He has consistently upheld certain values in his life and done so under often difficult conditions requiring both moral courage and a steadfastness of will. He has, through this, shaped events on earth in ways that many people regard as beneficial.

The prayer to which you refer is more a spiritual communion with God by believers who recognize both the universality of death in the human
world and the the aspiration for life in the spiritual one.

But if anyone feels the need to pray for something, pray for peace on earth.

Prayer is a ritual which might have some similar beneficial effect as meditation. Some sort of mental exercise. It can work as a placebo for the person who prays and for the person who knows that others pray for him or her. As with other placebos, there is no real effective component. Praying to god A can be just as useful as praying to god B. It's just a matter of how hard you believe. And of course there is no reason to think that anything supernatural is going on.

I think you misunderstand the meaning of prayer. The Pope is at the end of his life, undergoing a process none of us will escape. He has consistently upheld certain values in his life and done so under often difficult conditions requiring both moral courage and a steadfastness of will. He has, through this, shaped events on earth in ways that many people regard as beneficial.

The prayer to which you refer is more a spiritual communion with God by believers who recognize both the universality of death in the human
world and the the aspiration for life in the spiritual one.

georgeob1 wrote:

I think you misunderstand the meaning of prayer. The Pope is at the end of his life, undergoing a process none of us will escape. He has consistently upheld certain values in his life and done so under often difficult conditions requiring both moral courage and a steadfastness of will. He has, through this, shaped events on earth in ways that many people regard as beneficial.

The prayer to which you refer is more a spiritual communion with God by believers who recognize both the universality of death in the human
world and the the aspiration for life in the spiritual one.

Well george, I suspect prayer *means* something unique for each person. Unless of course someone had made rules about it. The term *for* in the phrase pray for suggests something like at the behest of. Which does seem rather odd in this instance. Or as regards any death at all. If god is all-knowing, then entreaties rising up from Lubbock and Seville would seem to have god listening to a phone message he left for himself. No big suprises anywhere. And if he is fair, then the good guys will get a break regardless of public opinion.

But if the term *for* is some unnecessary historical artifact with no actual function and which effectively confuses what is going on in prayer, then ok.

Do you suppose fear of death is the central psychological component here? Your answer would suggest that.

Do you suppose fear of death is the central psychological component here? Your answer would suggest that.

Jackson Froliklong, 17, of Cleveland Heights, is in Rome on spring break with a group of juniors and seniors from two Catholic high schools in Cleveland, St. Ignatius and St. Joseph's Academy. He relates his experiences and thoughts from the Vatican as thousands throng St. Peter's Square to pray for the pope.

After all, we had all come to this place for the same reason: To be there for Pope John Paul II in his final hours.

"We know his death is imminent," said my St. Ignatius classmate Drew Paskert. "But we're here to rejoice in his life. We're here to show him respect and to dignify his death."