‘Abba', meaning Daddy, is one of the Hebrew words we may have all heard, not just in the name of the Swedish pop group, in Saint Paul's letter to the Romans. ‘The Spirit you have received is the spirit of children, and it makes us cry out, ‘Abba! Father!' (Romans 8:15)

At times we can feel lost and think that nobody cares if we are alive or dead. Prayer becomes difficult, and we are thrown back on our own weakness. Saint Paul takes up the theme, ‘The Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. For when we cannot choose words in order to pray properly, the Spirit himself expresses our plea in a way that could never be put into words, and God who knows everything in our hearts knows perfectly well what he means.' (Romans 8:26)In old age, and in sickness, prayer does not become easier, and Saint Paul's words matter more and more. We have a place in God's mind. God knows everything in our hearts. There is a constant bond of love and communication between the Holy Spirit in us and God in heaven. When we pray we try to tune in to that communication.

From The Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project