The Holy Father continued his catechesis on prayer, commenting on the prayer of praise on this cold Roman Wednesday. The Audience took place in the Library of the Apostolic Palace, as usual due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Jesus praises the Father". Pope Francis began the catechesis by underlining the example of Christ, which we must all imitate. Throughout the Gospel we see how Jesus praises the Father because he feels he is a son of the Most High. In this sense, we should also follow his life and praise the Lord, an attitude proper to the "....the simple, humble people who welcome the Gospel". The small children are aware of their own limitationsand in God the Father all recognize each other as brothers and sisters.
Whom does praise serve?
The Pope poses the question: who does praise serve, us or God? For indeed, "the prayer of praise is useful to us. The Catechism defines it as follows: "He participates in the beatitude of pure hearts that love him in faith before seeing him in glory".".
In the same vein, Francis refers to difficult situations, to contradictions, such as those that many people are suffering in recent times. It is then - the Pope advises - that we have to follow Jesus more closely, because in those moments of difficulty, Jesus also praises the Lord. In such cases, prayer of praise purifies the soul, helps us to look far away.
The example of San Francisco
Already at the end of the catechesis, the Pope wanted to make use of the teachings of St. Francis, who ".He praises God for everything, for all the gifts of creation, and also for death, which he courageously manages to call "sister". The saints show us that we can always be praised, in good times and in bad, because God is the faithful Friend, and his love never fails.".
