Pope: prayer is a gaze turned to God, so He may care for our heart

The story of Adam and Eve warns that "the tempter is a bad payer, he pays badly". "God’s plan regarding humanity is for the good. Yet in our everyday lives we experience the presence of evil: it is an everyday experience." It is important to "teach children to pray. To make the sign of the Cross, which is the first prayer”.

Vatican City (AsiaNews) - Prayer is " prayer is an embankment, that is humankind’s refuge before the wave of evil that is growing in the world", it is "a chain of life", "sowing life" and above all "it ransform their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh".

The prayer of the just was the theme that Pope Francis spoke about today that at the general audience - which was still held in the library - continued the cycle of catechesis on prayer, during which he again recommended "teaching children to pray. To make the sign of the Cross, which is the first prayer”.

Francis' reflection began with the statement that " God’s plan regarding humanity is for the good. Yet in our everyday lives we experience the presence of evil: it is an everyday experience".

So it was for Adam and Eve who doubt God’s good intentions. They think they are dealing with a jealous God who wants to prevent their happiness. Hence rebellion arose: they no longer believe in a generous Creator who desire their well-being. Their hearts yield to the temptation of the evil one. They are taken in by the delirium of omnipotence: “When you eat of the fruit of the tree, you will become like God” (see v. 5). And this is the temptation: this is the ambition that enters into the heart. The experience goes in the opposite direction, however. Their eyes are opened and they discover that they are naked (v. 7), with nothing. Do not forget this: the tempter is a bad payer, he pays badly "

“Evil becomes even more explosive with the story of Cain and Abel” . Evil begins to enter and spread.

“Yet, in these first pages of the Bible, another story is also written. It is less apparent, humbler and more devout. It represents the redemption of hope. Even though almost everyone behaves cruelly, making hatred and conquest the driving force behind human affairs, there are persons who are capable of praying to God with sincerity, who are capable of writing humanity’s destiny in another way. Abel offers God a sacrifice of first-fruits. After he dies, Adam and Eve had a third son, Seth, of whom Enosh (which means “mortal”) is born. It is said that “at that time people began to invoke the Lord by name” (4:26). Then Enoch appears, a person who “walks with God” and who was taken up into heaven (see 5:22-24). Finally, there is the story of Noah, a just man who “walked with God” (6:9), before whom God withholds His plan to destroy humanity (see 6:7-8).”

Those who pray in the first pages of the Bible are peacemakers: in fact, when it is authentic, prayer liberates us from our instinct toward violence.” “Prayer cultivates flowerbeds of rebirth in places where human hatred was only capable of sowing a desert. And prayer is powerful, because it attracts the power of God, and the power of God always gives life: always. He is the God of life, and He brings about rebirth. This is the reason why God’s lordship is transmitted down the chain of these men and woman, who are often misunderstood and marginalised in the world. But the world lives and grows thanks to God’s power that these servants of His attract through their prayer. They are like a chain, which does not make a lot of noise, that rarely makes the headlines, and yet its importance is such that it restores trust in the world!.”

“God’s path and God’s story is transmitted through them: it is passed down to the “remnant” of humanity who have not been conformed to the law of the strongest, but have asked that God accomplish His miracles, and above all that He transform their hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (see Ez 36:26).”

Finally, in greeting to the Italians, Francis recalled that “the day after tomorrow we will celebrate the liturgical memory of Pope Saint Paul VI. The example of this Bishop of Rome, who has reached the heights of holiness, encourage each one to generously embrace the Gospel ideals ".