Heartfelt prayer
In his Angelus address last Sunday Pope Francis said: “‘Jesus, son of David, have mercy on me!’ Let us, too, recite this prayer. Let us ask ourselves: ‘What is my prayer like?’ Is it courageous, does it contain the insistence of Bartimaeus, does it ‘take hold’ of the Lord as he passes, or is it content with making a formal greeting? Is my prayer ‘substantial’, does it bare my heart before the Lord? Do I take my life experience to him? Or is it anaemic, superficial, made up of rituals, without feeling, without heart? When faith is alive, prayer is heartfelt: it is not reduced to momentary needs.”
Dirty finance
At the international convention of the Centesimus Annus pro Pontifice foundation, the Pope said: “Our response to injustice and exploitation must be more than mere condemnation; it must be the active promotion of the good: condemnation of what is wrong… In soil contaminated by the predominance of finance, we need to sow seeds that can bear fruit in an economy that is equitable and beneficial, humane and people-centred. We need possibilities to become realities, and realities to offer hope. This means putting into practice the Church’s social teaching.”
On migrants
After the Angelus last Sunday, the Pope said: “I express my closeness to the thousands of migrants, refugees and others in need of protection in Libya: I never forget you; I hear your cries, I pray for you. And how those who are turned away suffer! There are real dangers there. We must end the return of migrants to unsafe countries and give priority to saving lives at sea, with rescue devices and predictable disembarkation, guaranteeing decent living conditions, alternatives to detention, regular migration routes and asylum procedures. Let us be aware of our responsibility for these brothers and sisters, who have been victims of this very serious situation for too many years.”
(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)