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the good of others: it is the prayer of interces-
sion. Let us peer for a moment into the heart of
Saint Paul, to see what his prayer was like. It was
full of people: ââ¦I constantly pray with you in
every one of my prayers for all of you⦠because
I hold you in my heartâ (
Phil
1:4, 7). Here we see
that intercessory prayer does not divert us from
true contemplation, since authentic contempla-
tion always has a place for others.
282.âThis attitude becomes a prayer of grati-
tude to God for others. âFirst, I thank my God
through Jesus Christ for all of youâ (
Rom
1:8). It
is constant thankfulness: âI give thanks to God
always for you because of the grace of God
which was given you in Christ Jesusâ (
1 Cor
1:4);
âI thank my God in all my remembrance of youâ
(
Phil
1:3). Far from being suspicious, negative
and despairing, it is a spiritual gaze born of deep
faith which acknowledges what God is doing in
the lives of others. At the same time, it is the
gratitude which flows from a heart attentive to
others. When evangelizers rise from prayer, their
hearts are more open; freed of self-absorption,
they are desirous of doing good and sharing
their lives with others.
283.âThe great men and women of God were
great intercessors. Intercession is like a âleavenâ
in the heart of the Trinity. It is a way of pen-
etrating the Fatherâs heart and discovering new
dimensions which can shed light on concrete sit-
uations and change them. We can say that Godâs
