2nd Sunday of Easter
Several years ago, I visited four cities—Milan, Florence, Assisi, and Rome—to collect information. The city that left the strongest impression was Assisi. The day after arriving in Assisi, I sat at the Assisi train station all day, gazing at the town. I still don't know why I did that.
That evening, I went into a simple restaurant near my hotel for dinner. During dinner, a customer came in, and there was an empty seat where I had been sitting, so he came and sat there.
He asked me, "What do you think of Assisi?" I replied, "Assisi is a city of prayer." He humbly said, "I am very happy that you think so, as I am from Assisi. On a different note, I stayed in Milan until my retirement. Now, I would like to spend the rest of my life in this peaceful city of Assisi."
He didn't explicitly say "Assisi is a city of prayer," but his desire to spend the rest of his life in Assisi made me think that Assisi is indeed a city of prayer.
Prayer is not about projecting your desires and demands onto God. It's not about relying solely on God to heal illnesses, achieve business success, or pass exams without any effort on your part.
Prayer is about remembering God's presence and feeling the essence of life. Therefore, it centers on praise to God and gratitude for life. Prayer can be expressed in words, but fundamentally, it's a matter of the heart rather than words. It's about living with praise and gratitude. Prayer is more of a fundamental attitude in life than a formality. In other words, we can pray not only with words, but also with our attitudes. When should we pray? Jesus said, "Pray always" (Luke 18:1). This likely means praying constantly in our daily lives.
The following words are inscribed on a wall in the Church of St. Francis of Assisi: "If you are not happy... I am the light, but you do not see me. I am the way, but you do not follow me. I am the truth, but you do not believe me. I am the life, but you do not seek me. I am the teacher, but you do not listen to what I say. I am the Lord, but you doubt me. I am your friend, but you do not cherish me. Therefore, the reason you are not happy is not because of me."
I believe that everyone experiences moments of great happiness during their lifetime. When people are at the peak of such happiness, they all wish to make that moment last forever. Peter, one of Jesus' disciples who once experienced great happiness, said to Jesus, "Teacher, it is wonderful for us to be here. Let us build three shelters: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." However, no matter how much he wished, he was not allowed to build three shelters.
Jesus likely intended to show his disciples these values, stating, "True happiness is not achieved by stopping time or living in the brilliance of a moment, but by continuing to follow God with trust that He is guiding us and that what lies ahead is even more wonderful than what we have already experienced."
At Nanzan Junior and Senior High School for Boys, we hold an annual off-campus event called the "Italian Christian Training Program" for interested first and second-year high school students. The training takes place in Vatican City on Christmas Day. Students participate in the Pope's general audience at the Vatican City, the headquarters of the Catholic Church. It's a chance to see the Pope up close. They have a special experience alongside people from all over the world.
As Roy M. Goodman (American politician and businessman, 1930-) said, "Happiness is the way you travel, not the destination," and I believe our students who participate in the "Italian Christian Training Program" every year have come to understand this better.
The Italian Christian study program is not merely a journey or a training program; it is also called a journey of prayer. I believe that during the trip, our students wished for the happiness of many people. Isn't wishing for the happiness of others essentially the meaning of prayer?