Consolation in prayer comes from union with Christ, Pope explains at audience
May 30, 2012
At his weekly public audience on May 30, Pope Benedict XVI spoke about the consolation that the faithful experience in prayer, saying that it is “a concrete experience of God’s ‘Yes’ to man.”
“Our life and our Christian journey are often marked by difficulty, misunderstandings, and pain,” the Pope remarked. He explained how St. Paul instructed the faithful to bring these troubles to their prayer, in his Second Letter to the Corinthians.
When St. Paul said that the faithful would find comfort in prayer, the Pope observed, he did not mean merely that they would be consoled. More than that, the followers of Jesus “are invited to experience every situation in unity with Christ. By uniting our own troubles to the suffering of Christ, we are given the strength to overcome our own difficulties and also “to console those who are afflicted by any kind of suffering.”
Pope Benedict reminded his audience that Jesus does not set any limits on his mercy, and in that respect He is unlike other men. "Faced with conflict in human relationships, often even within the family, we tend not to persevere in gratuitous love, which requires commitment and sacrifice,” the Pontiff remarked. But Jesus continues to give Himself—gratuitously, completely. This is the “Yes” that God offers to mankind, the Pope explained.
In prayer, Christians accept that gift of God’s self-sacrifice, the Pope said. “Onto the 'Yes' of God is grafted the 'Amen' of the Church.”
For all current news, visit our News home page.
Further information:
All comments are moderated. To lighten our editing burden, only current donors are allowed to Sound Off. If you are a current donor, log in to see the comment form; otherwise please support our work, and Sound Off!
