The Cardinal pointed out that during the lockdowns, the word “prayer” was among the most searched on Google. Indeed, “The pandemic has revealed that superficiality, the denial of the interior life, are the diseases that cause suffering and anguish among our contemporaries.”
Newsroom (07/07/2022 08:30, Gaudium Press) Cardinal Robert Sarah, Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, granted an interview to the French newspaper Le Figaro regarding his new book: Catechism of the Spiritual Life, published 11 May 2022.
The African Cardinal said he wrote the book “during confinement” due to Covid and highlighted one aspect of the time: “I was struck: we took care of bodies, but we let souls die. The spiritual life is, however, what is most intimate in us, what is most precious to us. …This crisis has revealed the incredible spiritual thirst from which hearts suffer. People long for silence, for depth, for a life with God.”
The Cardinal pointed out that during the lockdowns, the word “prayer” was among the most searched on Google. Indeed, “The pandemic has revealed that superficiality, the denial of the interior life, are the diseases that cause suffering and anguish among our contemporaries.”
Therefore, he said, “The time has come for the Church to return to what is expected of Her: to speak of God, the soul, the afterlife, death and, above all, eternal life. […] The Church exists so that there may be Saints. The rest is secondary. The life of following Christ opens up for us this life with God. It passes through the Cross. The Cross is the fullness of love made manifest. It is the victory of life over death and sin.”
“Holiness is not reserved for a small elite. It is for everyone. To be holy is to allow oneself to be loved by God, to follow Christ.”
The cardinal noted the interest aroused in France by St. Charles de Foucauld and St. Therese of Lisieux: “They did not achieve anything great for society. But they sought God. The Church exists to help those who seek God. This is its sole purpose.”
When asked if priests and bishops talk enough about the spiritual life, he responded:
“Sometimes they are tempted to make themselves interesting in the eyes of the world by talking about politics or ecology. But I don’t think they interest anyone that way. We seek a priest because we seek God, not because we want to save the planet.”
Cardinal Sarah recalled that in 2013, the day after his election, Pope Francis had said, “If the Church stops seeking God through prayer, She risks betrayal.”
The Catechism of the Spiritual Life
The African Cardinal explained that his book is a catechism of the interior life that seeks to indicate the principal means of entering the spiritual life from a practical and non-academic perspective.
In this way, the book is structured around the Sacraments. According to the Cardinal: “Unfortunately, the Sacraments have been transformed into purely external ceremonies. Yet they are, in fact, the sensitive means by which God touches us, heals us, nourishes us, forgives us and comforts us. I also believe that in the Church many are unaware of the interior, spiritual and mystical reality of the Sacraments. We only see there the social rites, while in the sacramental sign the mystery is revealed, God Himself is given”.
Compiled by Sandra Chisholm
