Читать книгу Pope Francis’ Little Book of Wisdom - Andrea Assaf Kirk - Страница 8

Having faith does not mean having no difficulties, but having the strength to face them, knowing we are not alone.

The key that opens the door to faith is prayer. But it is one thing to pray, and another thing to say prayers.

One who believes may not be presumptuous; on the contrary, truth leads to humility, because believers know that, rather than ourselves possessing truth, it is truth that embraces and possesses us.

Faith is no refuge for the fainthearted, but something which enhances our lives. It makes us aware of a magnificent calling, the vocation of love. It assures us that this love is trustworthy and worth embracing, for it is based on God’s faithfulness which is stronger than our every weakness.

Of course, we will never be able to make the Church’s teachings easily understood or readily appreciated by everyone. Faith always remains something of a cross; it retains a certain obscurity which does not detract from the firmness of its assent. Some things are understood and appreciated only from the standpoint of this assent, which is a sister to love, beyond the range of clear reasons and arguments.

Faith is a path we walk with Jesus … and it is a path that lasts all our lives. At the end the definitive encounter will take place. Certainly, in some moments along the path we will feel tired and confused. However, faith gives us the certainty of the constant presence of Jesus in all situations, even the most painful and difficult to understand.

Faith is not a light which scatters all our darkness, but a lamp which guides our steps in the night and suffices for the journey. To those who suffer, God does not provide arguments which explain everything; rather, His response is that of an accompanying presence, a history of goodness which touches every story of suffering and opens up a ray of light.

True faith in the incarnate Son of God is inseparable from self-giving, from membership in the community, from service, from reconciliation with others. The Son of God, by becoming flesh, summoned us to the revolution of tenderness.

With the eyes of faith, we can see the light which the Holy Spirit always radiates in the midst of darkness, never forgetting that ‘where sin increased, grace has abounded all the more’ (Rom 5:20). Our faith is challenged to discern how wine can come from water and how wheat can grow in the midst of weeds.

To live by faith means to put our lives in the hands of God, especially in our most difficult moments.

Crossing the threshold of faith means that we work out of a sense of dignity and see service as a vocation. It means we serve selflessly and are prepared to begin over time and time again without giving in to weariness—as if all that has been done so far were only a step on the journey towards the Kingdom, the fullness of life. It is the quiet time of waiting after the daily sowing and contemplation of the harvest that has been gathered. It is giving thanks to the Lord because He is good and asking Him not to forsake the work of His hands (Ps 138:8).

Crossing the threshold of faith means that we keep our eyes filled with wonder and do not let our hearts grow accustomed to laziness. It means that we are able to recognize that each time a woman gives birth to a child, it is yet another bet placed for life and for the future; that, when we show concern for the innocence of children, we guarantee the truth of tomorrow; and that, when we esteem an unselfish elderly person, we are performing an act of justice and embracing our own roots.

To have faith is to make space for God’s love, to make space for His power … for the power of the One who is in love with me, and who wants to rejoice with me. This is faith. This is believing: making space for the Lord so that He can come and change me.

Jesus is the Savior and we are saved by Him. This is the most important thing. And this is the strength of our faith.

Faith in Jesus Christ is not a joke; it is something very serious. It is a scandal that God came to be one of us. It is a scandal that He died on the cross. It is a scandal: the scandal of the cross. The Cross continues to provoke scandal. But it is the one sure path, the path of the Cross, the path of Jesus, the path of the Incarnation of Jesus. Please do not water down your faith in Jesus Christ. We dilute fruit drinks—orange, apple or banana juice—but please do not drink a diluted form of faith.

If we live the faith in our daily life, then our work too becomes a chance to spread the joy of being a Christian.

The Holy Spirit is the mover. This is why prayer is important. It is the soul of our commitment as men and women of communion, of unity. Pray to the Holy Spirit that He may come and create unity in the Church.

To be friends with God means to pray with simplicity, like children talking to their parents.

We all have our likes and dislikes, and perhaps at this very moment we are angry with someone. At least let us say to the Lord, ‘Lord, I am angry with this person, with that person. I pray to you for him and for her.’ To pray for a person with whom I am irritated is a beautiful step forward in love, and an act of evangelization.

I ask you all … but reply in the silence of your heart, not aloud: Do I pray? Do I speak with Jesus, or am I frightened of silence? Do I allow the Holy Spirit to speak in my heart? Do I ask Jesus: ‘What do you want me to do, what do you want from my life?’ This is training. Ask Jesus, speak to Jesus, and if you make a mistake in your life, if you should fall, if you should do something wrong, don’t be afraid. Jesus, look at what I have done, what must I now do? Speak continually with Jesus, in the good times and in the bad, when you do right and when you do wrong. Do not fear Him! This is prayer.

Miracles happen. But prayer is needed! Prayer that is courageous, struggling, and persevering, not prayer that is a mere formality.

To pray is to insist to the point of annoyance but also with an unshakeable certainty. Jesus feels our need when we pray and also feels that we are certain of His help.

Pray always, but not to convince the Lord by the strength of words! But as an expression of faith in a God who calls us to fight along with Him, every day, every moment, to overcome evil with good.

Do we truly pray? Without an abiding relationship with God, it is difficult to live an authentic and consistent Christian life.

Ask yourselves: ‘How much space do I give to the Lord? Do I stop to talk with Him?’ Ever since we were children, our parents have taught us to start and end the day with a prayer, to teach us to feel that the friendship and the love of God accompanies us. Let us remember the Lord more in our daily life!

In the face of so many wounds that hurt us and could lead to a hardness of heart, we are called to dive into the sea of prayer, which is the sea of the boundless love of God, in order to experience His tenderness.