CTV Screenshot

Pope at Audience: 'If You Open Your Heart to Faith, the Doors of Heaven Will Open to You'

If You Trust in God, Francis Reminds Faithful in St. Peter’s Square, ‘He Will Do Miraculous Things’

Share this Entry

If you open your heart to faith, the doors of heaven will be opened to you.
During his weekly General Audience in St. Peter’s Square this morning, March 29, 2017, Pope Francis gave this comforting message as he invited faithful to imitate the Old Testament figure and patriarch of the Church, Abraham, who was willing to trust God and hope against hope.
Even when there is no room to hope, believing in God offers hope, and one that doesn’t disappoint.
The story of Abraham and Sarah gives evidence to this, who were, despite seeming like a hopeless situation, in part to Sarah’s sterility, were able to become parents after many years.
Thus, Abraham, becomes not just a father of our faith, but of our hope. Just like him, we are invited, the Pope highlighted, to look beyond the uncertain and unpredictable, and have hope in God’s promises.
We ought to feel secure about this hope, the Pontiff stressed, because it is based on God’s Word, not our own.
Acknowledging what the pilgrims in the square could be thinking the Pope said: ‘But father, what is the price for all this?»
«It there is one, only one,» he responded, it is: «open your heart. Open your heart to faith and He will do the rest.»
If we wish our lives to take on a new light, the Pope stressed, we are called to trust not our own strength nor capabilities, but the hope found in God’s promise to us, His children.
«If we now today have an open heart, we will meet in the ‘square’ of Heaven forever,» the Pope said.
«Open your heart to God and He will do miraculous things!»
***
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full Text: to be made available shortly

Share this Entry

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/

Support ZENIT

If you liked this article, support ZENIT now with a donation