From this perspective, prayer "is the guarantee of one’s openness to the others: those who make themselves free for God and His needs also open up to the others, to the brothers who knock on the door of their hearts and ask to be listened, ask for forgiveness, sometimes for admonition, but still with brotherly love". "True prayer is never self-centred, it is always centred on the others", ensured the Pontiff, and as such it "trains praying people in the ‘ecstasy’ of love, the ability to get out of oneself and be close to the others in humble and selfless service". "In harmonious connection with prayer", went on the Pope with reference to the other two traditional Lenten practices, "fasting and alms too can be considered places of learning and exercise of Christian hope. The ancient Fathers and writers love to highlight that these three dimensions of evangelical life are inseparable, they enrich each other and bear more fruit the more they strengthen each other". Through "the combined effect of prayer, fasting and alms", then, commented Benedict XVI, "Lent as a whole trains Christians to be men and women of hope, following the example of the saints".
