Never grow tired of praying, says Pope, God is good and hears our prayers
Benedict XVI canonized six new saints: two Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole, a Canadian and an Australian to whom he entrusted the Synod for the Middle East.
Vatican City (AsiaNews) - The "need to always pray without ceasing," because "God is good", He is "the generosity in person," and "all merciful", He "will answer those who pray" Benedict XVI recalled today commenting on today's Gospel and at the same time, taking the following the example of six new Brother Andre Bessette, religious of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, for whom "faith meant submitting freely to divine will and love" a simple man who "thanks to this simplicity has allowed many to see God "; Cándida María de Jesús y Cipitria Barriola, founder of the Daughters of Jesus, who wanted "to live only for God" bringing "hope that does not waver especially to those who need it most"; Mary McKillop, founder of the first Australian women's religious community, who "dedicated herself to the education of the poor", "brave and holy example of zeal, perseverance and prayer"; Giulia Salzano, founder of Catechist Sisters of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who dedicated herself to Christian education "with generosity and intelligence, helping to educate people of all ages and walks of life" Camilla Battista Varano, a Poor Clare nun of the fifteenth century, "she testified to the true meaning of evangelical life, especially persevering in prayer", a protagonist in that vast reform movement of women's spirituality that helped fully recover the Franciscan charism of St. Clare of Assisi."Two Italian, a Spaniard, a Pole, a Canadian and an Australian who lived in different eras and contexts, a "festival of Sainthood", an example which serves to "guide us" and to whom the Pope recommended that the Synod for the Middle East, underway at the Vatican.
To 50 thousand people in St. Peter's Square, Benedict XVI recalled that " this Sunday's liturgy of gives us a key lesson: the need to always pray without ceasing. Sometimes - he added - we get tired of praying, we feel that prayer is not useful for life, that it is not very effective. Therefore we are tempted to rely on human means to achieve our goals, rather than God. Instead Jesus says that we must always pray, and he does so through a specific parable (cf. Lk 18:1-8 ). It is about a judge who does not fear God and has no respect for anyone, a judge who without positive attributes, who seeks only his own interest. He has no fear of God's justice and has no respect for others. The other character is a widow, a person in a position of weakness. In the Bible, the widow and the orphan are the categories most in need, so helpless and without means. The widow goes to the judge seeking justice. Her opportunity to be heard are almost nil, because the judge rejects her and she can not bring any pressure to bear on him. She can not even appeal to his religious principles, as the Judge does not fear God, because of this the widow seems devoid of any hope. But she insists, asked without tiring, she is bothersome and so finally manages to chieve her goal from the Judge. "
"At this point - he continued - Jesus makes a reflection: if in the end a dishonest judge is influenced by the prayers of a poor widow, so much more will God, who is good, hear people's prayer. For God is generosity in person, He is merciful, and so He is always willing to listen to prayers. Therefore, we must never despair, but always insist in prayer."
"The conclusion of the Gospel speaks of faith:" The Son of Man, when he comes, will he find faith on earth? "(Luke 18:8). It's a question – concludes the Pope - that wants to provoke a growth in faith on our part. It is clear that prayer must be an expression of faith; otherwise it is not true prayer. If one does not believe in the goodness of God, one can not pray in a very adequate way. Faith is essential as the founding attitude of prayer. And it was the attitude of the six new saints who are now proposed to the veneration of the universal Church. "