Electric Prayer

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Pope Francis, R.I.P

There is surely no better time to die than at the very beginning of the Easter season. Just when one has prepared oneself to celebrate the joy of the Resurrection, one is called home by God, to begin the journey which will end in living that same joy.

Praying for the recently dead at this time has a special resonance for us as Christians, because the person and the season coincide so well. For those of you who want to read the Office of the Dead, here are the instructions for doing so in the Universalis apps and programs.

iPhone/iPad and Android

1. Bring up the toolbar, by tapping on some text in the middle of the screen. It doesn’t matter what you tap on: it can be a prayer, a psalm or a reading. When you tap, a row of buttons will appear at the top of the screen. We call this the toolbar.
2. Bring up the list of dates, by tapping the leftmost button in the toolbar. This is the one which looks like a number inside a box.
3. In the list of dates, tap on the “More” button at the top right (on iPhone/iPad) or on the “Special…” button at the bottom (on Android). A list of special occasions will appear.
4. In the list of special occasions, find “Common: For the Dead” and tap on it.

Mac and Windows

1. Open the “Date” menu and select the command “Go to Date…” (on Mac) or “Show Calendar” (on Windows). A list of dates will appear.
2. Above the list of dates, there is a button marked “Special…”. Press it. A list of special occasions will appear.
3. In the list of special occasions, find “Common: For the Dead” and click on it.

What to pray for

After praying for the repose of the soul of our servant Pope Francis, here are some suggested prayer intentions:

• For the cardinals as they enter the conclave: that they may be guided by the Holy Spirit in their deliberations and seek to make their decision in accordance with the will of God.
• For one particular cardinal: the same intention, because it is easier to pray for one person than for a whole group of them. Your choice may be obvious, if your bishop or archbishop is a cardinal; but if not, you can still “adopt” a cardinal for this conclave.
• For the one who will be elected Pope: that God should give him the grace to bear the heavy burden of the Papacy and guide and serve the Church according to God’s will.

And finally I would strongly recommend that each of us not treat this conclave as if it were a political election, eagerly reading the commentators who proffer now one front-runner, now another, and who rate the “candidates” according to this or that “policy”.

First, because that is not what all this isabout; second, because if we say anything other than, repeatedly and passionately, “Thy will be done”, we risk saying to God, “Thy will be done as long as…”. This conclave, like all of life, is about us obeying the will of God; not about God obeying ours.

Thank you all for using Universalis. If you have trouble or questions, or suggestions, do write to us at universalis@universalis.com or use the Contact Us button in one of the apps. Let us all keep one another in our prayers, as always.