Article 3
IN THE AGE OF THE CHURCH
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On the day of Pentecost, the Spirit of the Promise was poured out on the
disciples, gathered "together in one place."92 While awaiting
the Spirit, "all these with one accord devoted themselves to prayer."93
The Spirit who teaches the Church and recalls for her everything that Jesus
said94 was also to form her in the life of prayer.
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In the first community of Jerusalem, believers "devoted themselves to the
apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and the
prayers."95 This sequence is characteristic of the Church's
prayer: founded on the apostolic faith; authenticated by charity; nourished in
the Eucharist.
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In the first place these are prayers that the faithful hear and read in the
Scriptures, but also that they make their own - especially those of the Psalms,
in view of their fulfillment in Christ.96 The Holy Spirit, who thus
keeps the memory of Christ alive in his Church at prayer, also leads her toward
the fullness of truth and inspires new formulations expressing the unfathomable
mystery of Christ at work in his Church's life, sacraments, and mission. These
formulations are developed in the great liturgical and spiritual traditions.
the forms of prayer revealed in the apostolic and canonical Scriptures remain
normative for Christian prayer.
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