杏MAP导航

In his ongoing catechesis on the 鈥淥ur Father鈥�, 杏MAP导航 Francis told pilgrims gathered in the Paul VI hall for the General Audience on Wednesday, that 鈥渢rue prayer is made in the intimate depths of a heart visible only to God. 鈥淚t is a silent dialogue鈥�, he said, with love at its core. 鈥淭o look at God and to let oneself be looked at by God is to pray鈥�.

Compassion for others

The 杏MAP导航 commented that in this way, the Christian does not forget the world, but rather brings its people and its needs into prayer. He continued by saying, that the person who prays, tells God about the pain of someone he or she met that day.

"If you don't realize that there's so many people who suffer", the Pontiff underlined, then that means one's heart is withered. 鈥淔eeling compassion" is "one of the key verbs of the Gospel".

"Let us ask ourselves鈥�, said the 杏MAP导航, 鈥渨hen I pray, do I open myself to the cry of so many people near and far? Or do I think of prayer as some kind of anesthesia so you can relax?鈥�

No hypocrisy

He stressed that 鈥淛esus doesn't want hypocrisy. 鈥淭rue prayer is that which is accomplished in the secret of conscience, of the heart: inscrutable, visible only to God... It avoids falsehood: with God it is impossible to pretend鈥�. Before God, he said, tricks have no power.

No room for individualism

杏MAP导航 Francis noted that in the Our Father there is the absence of the word "I". Jesus, he explained teaches us instead to pray: 鈥測our kingdom come, your will be done鈥�. The second half of the prayer then moves from 鈥測our鈥� to 鈥渙ur鈥�: 鈥済ive us our daily bread; forgive us our trespasses鈥�. 鈥淭his use of the plural, he added, shows us that Christian prayer never asks bread for just one person, but always on behalf of others." There is no room for individualism in dialogue with God.鈥�

Jesus makes us pray, the 杏MAP导航 emphasized, even for those "who apparently do not seek God", because God seeks these people "more than anyone else.鈥�