Pope at Audience: ‘We are all
beggars before God’
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| Pope Francis during General Audience (Vatican Media) |
Pope Francis begins a new series of catechesis during the
General Audience on the theme of prayer and invites the faithful never to
suffocate that cry for hope and salvation.
By Linda Bordoni
Taking inspiration from the Gospel episode of Bartimaeus,
the blind beggar from Jericho who is able to see again after making a
profession of faith in Jesus, Pope Francis invited Christians to reach out to
God with prayer and to persevere in their journey of faith.
Addressing the faithful from the Library of the Apostolic
Palace during his live-streamed weekly General Audience, the Pope reflected on
the reading from the Gospel of Mark (Mk 10:47) and described prayer as “the
breath of faith, a cry arising from the hearts of those who trust in God.”
He said that although he is blind, Bartimaeus is aware that
Jesus is approaching and perseveres in calling out, “screaming at the top of
his lungs: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
The Pope explained that by using the only weapon at his
disposal, his voice, and ignoring the many who reproach him telling him to be
quiet, he cries out “Son of David”, making a profession of faith in Jesus the
Messiah.
The blind beggar’s prayer touches God’s heart, the Pope
said, and Bartimaeus is able to see again meaning that “the gates of salvation
are opened for him.”
Faith is a cry for salvation
“This indicates that faith is a cry for salvation attracting
God’s mercy and power,” Pope Francis said, pointing out that it is not
only Christians who pray but all men and women who search for meaning on their
earthly journey.
As we continue on our pilgrimage of faith, he continued, may
we “always persevere in prayer, especially in our darkest moments, and ask the
Lord with confidence: “Jesus have mercy on me. Jesus, have mercy on us!”.
“Faith is having two raised hands, a voice that cries out to
implore the gift of salvation,” the Pope said, noting that the Catechism of the
Catholic Church affirms that “humility is the foundation of prayer”. And he
explained that prayer “finds its origin in the earth, from the humus –
from which the word “humble”, “humility” derives: It comes from our precarious
state, from our continual thirst for God.”
“Faith is a cry,” he added, and exhorted us never to
suffocate that cry.
“Faith is a protest against a painful condition for which we
do not understand the reason,” he continued, saying “To disbelieve is limiting
oneself to endure a situation that we have adapted ourselves to,” becoming
accustomed to the evil that oppresses us, while “Faith is the hope of being
saved.”
Prayer is stronger than any argument to the contrary
Returning to the theme of prayer, Pope Francis said:
“There is a voice in the depths of mankind that prays which is stronger than
any argument to the contrary.”
He described it “as a voice that flows forth spontaneously
without anyone commanding it; a voice that questions the meaning of our journey
here below, above all when we find ourselves in darkness” and we cry out
“Jesus, have mercy on me! Jesus, have mercy on all of us!”
It’s not only Christians who pray
Pope Francis concluded his catechesis noting that these are
words "inscribed on all of creation."
“Everything prays and begs so that the mystery of mercy
might find its ultimate fulfillment,” he said, reiterating that “it is not only
Christians who pray” because every single man and woman share the desire for
salvation: “Man is a beggar before God”.
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