Pope: Pray always, at all times, in every situation, even for those we do not know
“Prayer is always alive, like an ember, even when our mouth does not speak. Every thought, even if apparently 'profane', can be permeated with prayer ". At the end of the general audience, Francis invited people to pray for the victims of the landslide in India and made his wishes for the Lunar New Year.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) – Pray always, at all times, in every situation, even for enemies and for those we do not know, and "prayer when it is according to the heart of Jesus, achieves miracles". "Praying in daily life" was the theme of Pope Francis’s catechesis for today's general audience, again held in the private library.
At the end of the audience Francis recalled the victims of the glacier landslide in India and the Lunar New Year. "I express my closeness to the victims of the disaster that occurred three days ago in northern India". "A part of the glacier broke away causing a violent flood, which overwhelmed the construction sites of two power plants", continued Francis: "We pray for the deceased workers and their families and for all the injured and affected people".
He went on: "On February 12, in the Far East and in various parts of the world many millions of men and women will celebrate the Lunar New Year. I send them a cordial greeting, together with the wish that the new year bear fruits of fraternity and solidarity ".
Previously, continuing in the cycle of reflections on prayer, Francis stated that "whoever prays is like a lover, who always carries the loved one in his heart, wherever he is. In fact, everything is taken up in this dialogue with God: every joy becomes a reason for praise, every trial is an occasion for a request for help. Prayer is always alive, like an ember, even when the mouth does not speak. Every thought, even if apparently 'profane', can be permeated with prayer. There is also a prayerful aspect in human intelligence; in fact, it is a window overlooking the mystery: it illuminates the few steps that are in front of us and then opens itself to the whole reality, which precedes and surpasses it”.
Francis has repeatedly invited to daily prayer "on the streets, in offices, on means of transport ...", "in every situation of life - he added in the greeting to the Poles - may a heart to heart conversation with Christ accompany; not only in front of the Blessed Sacrament, the Cross or a sacred image, but also on your way to work, traveling and during your daily tasks ".
"Christian prayer - he stressed - instills an invincible hope in the human heart: whatever experience we touch on our journey, God’s love can turn it into good. Regarding this, the Catechism reads: “We learn to pray at certain moments by hearing the Word of the Lord and sharing in his Paschal Mystery, but his Spirit is offered us at all times, in the events of each day, to make prayer spring up from us. […] Time is in the Father’s hands; it is in the present that we encounter him, not yesterday or tomorrow, but today” (n. 2659). There is always the today of the meeting. There is no more wonderful day than the today we are experiencing ".
“Time - he explained - is in the hands of the Father”: “And it is prayer that transforms it into grace, or better, it transforms us: it appeases anger, sustains love, multiplies joy, instills the strength to forgive. Sometimes it will seem that it is no longer we who are living, but that grace lives and works in us through prayer. Each day that begins is accompanied by courage if it is welcomed in prayer. Thus, the problems we face no longer seem to be obstacles to our happiness, but appeals from God, opportunities to encounter Him”. " “But always this, don't forget it”. "Take today. When you think of anger, of bewilderment, stop. Ask yourself: 'Lord, where are you staying? And where am I going? The Lord will give you the right word, the true advice”. “To go on without that bitter juice of the negative”, that “prayer is always positive, it carries you forward”.
And “prayer helps us to love others, despite their mistakes and their sins”, because “the person is always more important than his actions, and Jesus did not judge the world, but saved it”. “It's a bad life for those people who always judge others, are always condemning by judging,” he added. "It is a bad, unhappy life. Jesus came to save us: open your heart, forgive, justify others, be close to others, have compassion, have tenderness, like Jesus”.
“We must love each and every one, remembering in prayer that we are all sinners and at the same time loved by God one by one”.
“Loving this world in this way, loving it with tenderness, we will discover that every day and everything carries a fragment of the mystery of God hidden within itself”. "It is good and right to pray for the advent of the Kingdom of justice and peace to influence the journey of history, but it is equally important to 'knead' humble everyday situations through prayer."
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