PAPA FRANCESCO

MEDITAZIONE MATTUTINA NELLA CAPPELLA DELLA
DOMUS SANCTAE MARTHAE

The little prayer that moves God

Thursday, 16 January 2020

[Multimedia]

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As he reflected on the day’s Gospel passage in which a leper approached Jesus to be healed, Pope Francis commented on this boldness. He described the leper’s request as a simple prayer, “an act of confidence” and at the same time a true challenge”: “Lord if you will, you can make me clean”. It is a plea that comes from the depths of his heart. The leper was able to make this prayer “because he saw how Jesus acted”, and had seen his compassion, the Pope explained. This compassion, not pity, which is often repeated in the Gospel, — the story of the widow of Nain, the Parables of the Good Samaritan and the Prodigal Son — means “taking the suffering of the other person upon oneself in order to resolve it, to heal it”.

Thanks to the compassion of Jesus who loves us despite our sinfulness, the leper was able to obtain healing through his prayer.

The Holy Father invited the faithful to pray to Jesus like the leper, knowing that Jesus is always at our side. He did not come simply to give a few sermons and then return to heaven; He came to be close to us. Indeed he is not ashamed of us because “he came precisely for us sinners, and the greater a sinner you are, the closer the Lord is to you”. He then offered a few examples of how the faithful could offer a simple prayer to Jesus: “Lord, if you will it, you can do it ... Have compassion on me”.