Being holier doesn't make life easier, observed Pope Francis on April 14. And in fact, holy women and men have their own specific problems to address, as well as often being "the objects of opposition." But there is a key difference, the Holy Father says: "Their strength is prayer. They always draw from the inexhaustible 'well' of Mother Church."
Pope Francis urged that we examine our prayer lives to see if we are drawing from this endless strength:
These reflections were part of Pope Francis' ongoing catechesis series on prayer, with today's meditation being dedicated to the Church as "teacher of prayer."
Speaking about how the "garment of faith" must grow with us, the pope explained that we "grow in faith inasmuch as we learn to pray.
"After certain passages in life, we become aware that without faith we could not have made it and that our strength was prayer – not only personal prayer, but also that of our brothers and sisters, and of the community that accompanied and supported us, of the people who know us, of the people we ask to pray for us," he said.
Pope Francis spoke about how all through history, prayer has been a motor. He noted the role of contemplative communities, dedicated primarily to prayer.
But Pope Francis warned that there is a force trying to eliminate prayer.
"When the Enemy, the Evil One, wants to combat the Church, he does so first by trying to drain her fonts, hindering them from praying," he said.
In this context, the pope reflected on how important it is to make decisions in the Church based on prayer. He asserted that changes made in the Church without prayer are not "made by the Church."
The Holy Father brought up the question from Luke's Gospel posed by Jesus: a "dramatic question that always makes us reflect: 'When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?' (Lk 18:8)"
"Or will he," the pope asked, "find only organizations, like groups of entrepreneurs of the faith, everything organized well, who do charitable works, many things, or will he find faith?"
The question comes at the end of a parable on persevering in prayer, the pope noted. "Therefore, we can conclude that the lamp of faith will always be lit on earth as long as there is the oil of prayer," he said.
