Prayer keeps us “final age”. connected with God. The Wisdom of Pope Francis
The Gospel of Luke presents us with a troubling question posed by Jesus: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8); as if to say: “when I come again at the end of time” — but we could also think, even now, at this time of life — “will I find a bit of faith in you, in your world?” This is a serious question. Let us imagine that the Lord came on earth today. Unfortunately, he would see many wars, much poverty and many inequalities, and at the same time, tremendous technical achievements, modern means, and people who are always rushing, who never stop.
Time and affection
But would he find someone who dedicates time and affection to him, someone who would put him in first place? Above all, let us ask ourselves, “What would he find in me, if the Lord were to come today, what would he find in me, in my life, in my heart? What priorities would he see in my life?”
We often focus on so many urgent but unnecessary things. We occupy and preoccupy ourselves with so many secondary realities. And perhaps without even realising it, we neglect what matters most and we allow our love for God to grow cold, to grow cold bit by bit. Today, Jesus offers us the remedy to rekindle a tepid faith. And what is the remedy? Prayer. Prayer is the medicine for faith, it is a tonic for the soul. However, it needs to be constant prayer.
If we must undergo a treatment to get better, it is important to follow it well, to take the medicine consistently and regularly in the right way and at the right times. This is necessary in all of life. Let us think of a houseplant: we have to water it consistently every day. We cannot soak it and then leave it without water for weeks! Even more so with prayer. We cannot live only on strong moments of prayer or occasional intense encounters, and then go into hibernation. Our faith will dry up. We need the daily water of prayer, we need time dedicated to God, so that he can enter into our time, into our lives; consistent moments in which we open our hearts to him so that he can daily pour out on us love, peace, joy, strength, hope, thus nourishing our faith.
To everyone
This is why Jesus says to his disciples — to everyone, not only to some! — “that they ought always to pray and not lose heart”. Now someone might object: “But how can I do that? I don’t live in a convent. I don’t have much time to pray!” Perhaps a wise spiritual practice which is a bit forgotten today, and which our elderly, especially the grandmothers, know well, can come to our aid with this real difficulty. These are so-called ‘aspirations’. The name is a bit outdated, but the substance is good. What are they? They are very short, easy to memorise prayers that can be repeated often throughout the day, in the course of various activities, to remain ‘in tune’ with the Lord. For example, as soon as we awaken, we can say: “Lord, I thank you and I offer this day to you”. This is a short prayer. Then, before an activity, we can repeat, “Come, Holy Spirit”. Between one thing and another, we can pray thus, “Jesus, I trust in you. Jesus, I love you”. Really short prayers that help us stay in contact with the Lord.
How often we send text messages to the people we love! Let us do this with the Lord as well so that our hearts remain connected to him. And let us not forget to read his responses. The Lord always responds. Where do we find them? In the Gospel which should always be kept at hand and should be opened several times every day, to receive a Word of life directed to us.
And let us go back to the advice I have given many times — carry a pocket-size Gospel in your pocket, in your purse. So that when you have a minute, open it and read something, and the Lord will respond.
This is an abridged version of a talk given by Pope Francis on October 16, 2022.
