At his General Audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on prayer by focusing on the first chapters of Genesis.
He reflected on the fall of Adam and Eve and on the murder of Abel at the hands of his brother, Cain. He juxtaposed the evil behind these character's sinful actions with the good behind the sincere prayers of just people like Abel, Seth and Noah.
Pope Francis invited the faithful to emulate righteous men and women of prayer in asking God for healing, growth and transformation.
SUMMARY OF POPE'S CATECHESIS
Dear Brothers and Sisters:
In our continuing catechesis on prayer, we now consider the prayer of the just. In the book of Genesis, the accounts of the fall of Adam and Eve and of the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, tell of the emergence and expansion of evil and sin across successive generations. We too still experience the presence of wickedness in the world. Yet God’s will for his creatures is for the good, not for evil. In the first pages of the Bible we also see another, less conspicuous story, with Abel, Seth, Enoch and Noah, who acted humbly and prayed to God with sincerity. These just men of prayer were peacemakers who show that authentic prayer, freed from the tendency to violence, is a hope-filled gaze directed to God, which can cultivate new life in place of arid hatred. Throughout history, righteous men and women of prayer—often misunderstood or marginalized—have ceaselessly offered up intercession for the world, invoking God’s power to bring about healing and growth. May we, like them, faithfully ask God to fulfill his work of transforming hearts of stone into hearts of flesh.
I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media. As we prepare to celebrate the Solemnity of Pentecost, I invoke upon you and your families an abundance of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. May God bless you!
CT
