Pope at Mass: the little prayer
that moves God
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| Pope Francis celebrates Holy Mass at the Casa Santa Marta (Vatican Media) |
During the homily at Mass Thursday morning at the Casa Santa
Marta, Pope Francis says that Jesus is close to us, “His compassion will take
upon itself our problems, our sins, our interior diseases”.
By Vatican News
The day’s Gospel tells how a leper approached Jesus, saying
“Lord, if you will, you can make me clean”. In his homily, Pope Francis said
that the leper’s request is a simple prayer, “an act of confidence” — but at
the same time, “a true challenge”. It is plea that comes from the depths of his
heart, which also reveals something about Jesus and His compassion for us. Jesus,
the Pope said, suffers “with and for us”, He takes the suffering of others upon
Himself, comforting them and healing them in the name the love of the Father.
A true challenge
Reflecting on the “simple” story of the healing of the
leper, Pope Francis said that the phrase, “If you will…” is a prayer that “gets
God’s attention”. “It is a challenge”, he said, “but also an act of confidence:
I know that He can do it, and so I entrust myself to Him”.
The leper was able to make this prayer, Pope Francis said,
“because he saw how Jesus acted. This man had seen the compassion of Jesus”.
Compassion, not pity, is a “refrain in the Gospel” — a common theme seen in the
story of the widow of Nain, and in the parables of the Good Samaritan and the
Prodigal Son:
Compassion gets involved, it comes from the heart and
gets involved, and it leads you to do something. Compassion is “suffering
with”, taking the suffering of the other person upon yourself in order to
resolve it, to heal it. And this was the mission of Jesus. Jesus did not come
to preach the law and then leave. Jesus came in compassion, that is, to suffer
with and for us and to give us life itself. The love of Jesus is so great that
compassion led Him precisely to the Cross, to give His life.
Jesus does not wash His hands, but stands beside us
The Pope invited us to repeat “this little phrase” often.
Because Jesus has compassion, the Pope explained, “He is capable of involving
Himself in our sorrows, in the problems of others”. Jesus, he said, did not
come simply to give a few sermons and then return to heaven; not to wash His
hands. He came to be close to us, and He remains always at our side.
Pope Francis explained how this expression can be turned
into a prayer that we can use every day:
“Lord, if you will, you can heal me; if you will, you can
forgive me; if you will, you can help me.” Or, if you want, [you can make it] a
little longer: “Lord, I am a sinner, have mercy on me, have compassion on me”.
A simple prayer that can be said many times a day. “Lord, I, a sinner, ask you:
have mercy on me”. Many times a day, inwardly, from the heart, without saying
it out loud: “Lord, if you will, you can; if you will, you can. Have compassion
on me”. Repeat this.
A miraculous prayer
The leper, with his simple and “miraculous” prayer, was able
to obtain healing thanks to the compassion of Jesus, who loves us despite our
sinfulness.
He is not ashamed of us. “O Father, I am a sinner, how
can I say this?...” [This is] better! For He came precisely for us sinners, and
the greater a sinner you are, the closer the Lord is to you, for He has come
for you, the greatest sinner; for me, the greatest sinner; for all of us. Let
us make a habit of repeating this prayer, always: “Lord, if you will it, you
can do it. If you will it, you can do it”, with confidence that the Lord is
close to us; and with His compassion, He will take upon Himself our problems,
our sins, our inner diseases, everything.
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