Pope
at Santa Marta: A lesson in contemplative prayer
(Vatican Radio) Daily contemplation of the Gospel helps us to
have true hope, said Pope Francis Tuesday morning during Mass celebrated in the
Casa Santa Marta chapel. In his homily, the Pope again urged people to take 10
minutes out of their day to pick up the Gospel and talk to the Lord, rather
than waste it on TV soap operas or listening to other peoples’ gossip.
Focusing on the passage from the Letter to the Hebrews on hope,
Pope Francis said that “keeping our gaze fixed on Jesus” is the core of
hope. He stressed that if we do not listen to the Lord, we may be
“optimistic or positive” people but without the hope that we learn “from
contemplating Christ”.
This led the Holy Father to speak of "contemplative
prayer”. The Pope said that "it is good to pray the Rosary every
day", to talk "with the Lord, when we have a problem, or the Virgin
Mary or the Saints ..". But, "contemplative prayer" is important
and this can only be done "with the Gospel in hand":
He said: "'How do I contemplate with today’s Gospel? I see
that Jesus was in the middle of the people, he was surrounded by a large crowd.
Five times this passage uses the word 'crowd'. Did Jesus ever rest? This would
lead me to think: 'Always with the crowd ...'. Most of Jesus’ life was on the
streets, with the crowd. Did he ever rest? Yes, once, says the Gospel, he was
sleeping on the boat but the storm came and the disciples woke him. Jesus was
constantly in the midst of the people. And this is how we look at Jesus,
contemplate Jesus, imagine Jesus. And so I tell Jesus what comes to my mind to
tell him".
Continuing his reflection on today's Gospel, Pope Francis spoke
of how Jesus realizes that a sick woman in the crowd touched him. Jesus, the
Pope said, "not only understands the crowd, he feels the crowd",
"he feels the heartbeat of each of us, everyone. He cares for each and
every one of us, always!".
The case of the chief of the synagogue who goes "to speak
to him of his daughter who was seriously ill” is similar: [Jesus] leaves
everything to takes care of the matter. The Pope went on to depict the scene:
Jesus arrives in the home, the women are crying because the little girl is
dead, but the Lord tells them to be calm and they scorn him. Here, the Pope
said, we see "the patience of Jesus."
And then after the resurrection of the child, instead of saying
"Praise be God!", Jesus tells them: "Please give her
something to eat". Pope Francis noted "Jesus always thinks of the
little things."
The Pope then pointed out "What I have just done with this
Gospel is a prayer of contemplation: take up the Gospel, read and imagine the
scene, imagine what happens and talk to Jesus, from the heart":
"And with this we allow hope to grow, because we have our
gaze fixed, we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus. We should all carry out this
contemplative prayer. 'But I have so much to do!'. At home, 15 minutes, pick up
the Gospel, a small passage, imagine what happened and talk with Jesus about
it. So your gaze will be fixed on Jesus and not so much on a TV soap opera, for
example. Your ears will be focused on the words of Jesus and not so much on
your neighborhood gossip ... ".
"This is how contemplative prayer helps us in hope. Living
the substance of the Gospel. Always pray”.
Pope Francis invited people to "pray your prayers, pray the
rosary, talk with the Lord, but also carry out this contemplative prayer
keeping your gaze fixed on Jesus". Hope comes from this prayer, he said,
adding "our Christian life unfolds in that context, between memory and
hope":
"Memory of our past journey, memory of so many graces
received from the Lord. And hope, looking at the Lord, who is the only one who
can give me hope. And in order to gaze at the Lord, to know the Lord, we pick
up the Gospel and carry out this contemplative prayer. Today, for example, try
for 10 minutes - 15, no more – to read the Gospel, picture it and say something
to Jesus. And nothing more. And so your knowledge of Jesus will be bigger and
your hope will grow. Do not forget, keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. And in
order to do this contemplative prayer".
(Emer McCarthy)
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