Photo from Oct. 7, 2020, General Audience - Copyright; Vatican Media

Pope’s Assurance at General Audience: ‘God Is Not Deaf to Our Prayers’

‘The Psalmist’s repeated cry, ‘How long, Lord?’, is itself an acknowledgment that, amid our every trail and tribulation, God hears our voice and never abandons us’

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God is not deaf to our prayers; rather, He is there beside us, never abandoning us…

Pope Francis gave this reminder at his weekly General Audience, today, Oct. 14, 2020, the second consecutive General Audience held in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall since the pandemic’s virus, due to the Roman rain.
This morning, the Holy Father continued his new series of catecheses on prayer, focusing specifically on the Psalms, calling them «a guide to growth in the practice of prayer.»
Calling the Book of Psalms as the «great treasury of prayers,» he noted they teach us to pray to God in words that he himself has given us. The human emotions, «from praise, petition and joyful thanksgiving to anguished supplication for deliverance from life’s bitter disappointments and sorrows,» he noted are all encountered in them.

«The Psalms teach us that God is not deaf to our prayers, especially those that arise from a broken heart and a troubled spirit,» he underscored, reminding: The Psalmist’s repeated cry, “How long, Lord?”, is itself an acknowledgment that, amid our every trail and tribulation, God hears our voice and never abandons us.»

Francis reminded that God is our loving Father, who weeps for us and our suffering, but who has «a saving plan for each one of us.»

«The Psalms are thus a guide to growth in the practice of prayer,» he said, noting: «They open our hearts to ever deeper hope in God’s providential care; they confirm our trust in his promises, and they inspire us to persevere on our life-long journey of faith in his word.»

The Holy Father gave special greetings to English-speaking faithful. Invoking the joy and peace of the Lord, upon all of them and their families, he said: «God bless you!»

Following the health indications of the Authorities, the General Audiences generally have been taking place in the San Damaso Courtyard starting at 9:30 a.m. Individuals enter from the Bronze Doors of the right colonnade of St. Peter’s Square, as early as 7:30 a.m. Pilgrims are to maintain proper social distancing, sanitize hands, have temperatures taken and pass through security clearance. To reach the Courtyard of San Damaso, faithful go past the masked Swiss Guards, climb about 75 steps, before arriving at the site of the audience. It is rare for faithful and pilgrims to have access to this space.

Here is the Vatican’s English-speaking summary:

***

Speaker:

Dear Brothers and Sisters, in our continuing catechesis on prayer, we now turn to the Book of Psalms, which can be considered a great treasury of prayers. The Psalms teach us to pray to God in words that he himself has given us. In them, we encounter the entire gamut of human emotions, from praise, petition and joyful thanksgiving to anguished supplication for deliverance from life’s bitter disappointments and sorrows. The Psalms teach us that God is not deaf to our prayers, especially those that arise from a broken heart and a troubled spirit. The Psalmist’s repeated cry, “How long, Lord?”, is itself an acknowledgment that, amid our every trail and tribulation, God hears our voice and never abandons us. As a loving Father, he weeps for our sufferings in this world, yet in his wisdom he has a saving plan for each of us. The Psalms are thus a guide to growth in the practice of prayer. They open our hearts to ever deeper hope in God’s providential care; they confirm our trust in his promises, and they inspire us to persevere on our life-long journey of faith in his word.

Speaker:
I welcome all the English-speaking pilgrims and visitors who join us for today’s Audience.
Upon you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ. God bless you

Read full text of Pope’s commentary here.

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Deborah Castellano Lubov

Deborah Castellano Lubov is Senior Vatican & Rome Correspondent for ZENIT; author of 'The Other Francis' ('L'Altro Francesco') featuring interviews with those closest to the Pope and preface by Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Parolin (currently published in 5 languages); Deborah is also NBC & MSNBC Vatican Analyst. She often covers the Pope's travels abroad, often from the Papal Flight (including for historic trips such as to Abu Dhabi and Japan & Thailand), and has also asked him questions on the return-flight press conference on behalf of the English-speaking press present. Lubov has done much TV & radio commentary, including for NBC, Sky, EWTN, BBC, Vatican Radio, AP, Reuters and more. She also has contributed to various books on the Pope and has written for various Catholic publications. For 'The Other Francis': http://www.gracewing.co.uk/page219.html or https://www.amazon.com/Other-Francis-Everything-They-about/dp/0852449348/

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