Prayer that Holy Week will draw us up to God’s presence

The final week of Lent is an uphill battle, both figuratively and literally. Jesus had to ascend the slopes of Mt. Calvary, and on each day of Holy Week he makes another step closer to the peak.

In a similar way, we follow Jesus during this week and are challenged to follow him with our hearts, letting God take our hearts into his own Heart.

Here is a prayer from Pope Benedict XVI from his homily on Palm Sunday in 2011. He prays that we may all be brought up to God, to the heights during this final week of Lent.

We are on pilgrimage with the Lord to the heights.
We are striving for pure hearts and clean hands,
we are seeking truth, we are seeking the face of God.
Let us show the Lord that we desire to be righteous, and let us ask him:
Draw us upwards! Make us pure!
Grant that the words which we sang in the processional psalm
may also hold true for us;
grant that we may be part of the generation which seeks God,
“which seeks your face, O God of Jacob” (cf. Ps 24:6).
Amen.

Read more:Morning prayer for the last two weeks of Lent

Read more:7 Palm Sunday traditions at Mass and their symbolism