Column of the Apostleship of Prayer – February 2026
“Indeed, the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword; it pierces to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Heb. 4:12).
The Second Vatican Council teaches in the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine Revelation, Dei Verbum, that God reveals himself in Sacred Scripture. You can experience this when, in faith, you take it into your hands and make it part of your own prayer. We are not dealing with just any word, but with words that are inspired and have thus become, as it were, keys to the heart of God. In them the eternal Word allowed the truth about himself to be clothed. He allowed himself, so to speak, to be shaped and spoken in human language. The Word allowed himself, as it were, to be enclosed in books, chapters, sentences and letters.
He submitted himself, as it were, to human handling and narrative — to those who, inspired and moved by the Holy Spirit, made concrete efforts to express God’s revelation in written form, which we today call Sacred Scripture. It is essential to recognise the truth that through the word which God gives you in this concrete moment of prayer, he himself wishes to communicate something meaningful concerning your life — here and now, at the moment he has appointed. Through this concrete word he desires to speak to you. Praying with the word of God is not about psychological introspection or digging into your inner self, but about standing before God with the whole complexity of your life.
Whatever you may discover within yourself during the spiritual reading of God’s word, remember that God is never offended by you, never hurt by you, and never abandons you. As Saint Sharbel Makhluf has said, your journey through this world is a path of holiness, and holiness is the unceasing transformation of matter into light. Pray that you may hear and understand, live by faith and bear witness. Pray that you may become light.
Fr. Stanisław Zawiłowicz SCJ
Let us pray…
February
We pray that children suffering from incurable illnesses and their families may receive the medical care and support they need and never lose strength and hope.
March
We pray that nations may advance towards genuine disarmament, especially nuclear disarmament, and that the leaders of the world may choose the path of dialogue and diplomacy instead of violence.
Further information about the Apostleship of Prayer and the current prayer intentions can be found at:
https://katolinen.fi/pyha-isa-eli-paavi/paavin-rukousaiheet-eli-rukouksen-apostolaatti/ (Visit an external site. The link opens in a new tab.)