Pope: everything can become a word spoken to the 'You' who always listen to us

In his general audience catechesis, Francis spoke of the "David prayer" which "teaches us to transform our joys and sorrows, our worries and our hopes, our fears and our victories into prayer". In his greeting in Spanish, he invited people to pray and be in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake that hit Mexico.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Prayer. "though it take on the tones of jubilation, or those of the lament, it is always the same" it is a dialogue with God, in which everything enters: "joy as well as guilt, love as well as suffering, friendship as much as sickness. Everything can become a word spoken to the “You” who always listens to us." This is the example that comes from David's prayer, a theme addressed by Pope Francis in today's general audience, which took place in the library of the Apostolic Palace.

Continuing the cycle of catechesis on prayer, Francis therefore spoke of David, “who will play a central role in the history of the people of God and of our own faith. In the Gospels, Jesus is called “son of David” a number of times; like him, in fact, He is born in Bethlehem. According to the promises, the Messiah would come from the descendants of David: a King completely after God’s heart, in perfect obedience to the Father, whose action faithfully realises His plan of salvation (cf Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2579) ".

David "is first of all a shepherd: a man who takes care of animals" and will do the same when he has to worry about the people.

“A second characteristic trait present in David’s vocation is his poet’s soul. From this small observation, we can deduce that David was not a vulgar man, as is often the case with individuals who are forced to live for long periods in isolation from society. He is, instead, a sensitive person who loves music and singing. His harp would accompany him always: sometimes to raise a hymn of joy to God (see 2 Sam 6:16), other times to express a lament, or to confess his own sin (see Ps 51:3). The world that presented itself before his eyes was not a silent scene: as things unraveled before his gaze he observed a greater mystery. That is exactly where prayer arises: from the conviction that life is not something that takes us by surprise, but a stupefying mystery that inspires poetry, music, gratitude, praise, even lament and supplication in us. When a person lacks that poetic dimension, let’s say, when poetry is missing, his or her soul limps."

“Look  at David, think about David. Holy and sinful, persecuted and persecutor, victim and murderer, which is a contradiction. David was all of this, together. And we too have recorded events in our lives that are often opposed to each other; in the drama of life, all people often sin because of inconsistency. There is one single golden thread running through David’s life, that gave unity to everything that happened: his prayer. That is the voice that was never extinguished. David the saint prays: David the sinner prays; David, persecuted, prays; David the persecutor prays. Even David the murderer prays. This is the golden thread running through his life. A man of prayer. That is the voice that is never silenced. Whether it assumed tones of jubilation or lament, it is always the same prayer, it is only the melody that changes. In so doing, David teaches us to let everything enter into dialogue with God: joy as well as guilt, love as well as suffering, friendship as much as sickness. Everything can become a word spoken to the “You” who always listens to us.”

He concluded “Prayer gives you nobility, and David is noble because he prays. But he is a murderer who prays; he repents and his nobility returns thanks to prayer. Prayer gives us nobility. it is capable of securing their relationship with God who is the true Companion on the journey of every man and woman, in the midst of life’s thousand adversities, good or bad: but always prayer. Thank you, Lord. I am afraid, Lord. Help me, Lord. Forgive me, Lord.”

Finally, in the greeting in Spanish, the Pope invited to pray and be in solidarity with the victims of the earthquake that hit Mexico.