In the General Audience, Pope Francis continued his catechesis on prayer. He reflected on Jacob's prayer, when he wrestles with the angel all night.
The pope said this means “fighting with God,” proving prayer is not always easy, but “demands of us a struggle with God and a recognition of our weakness and frailty before God.”
However, the Holy Father insisted, “it is in that struggle and in our woundedness that we experience the healing power of grace and grow in faith.” He prayed that everyone be open to this encounter of prayer.
SUMMARY OF PAPAL CATECHESIS
(Source: Vatican News)
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
In our continuing catechesis on prayer we now consider the prayer of Jacob. At a certain point in his life, Jacob – always clever and self-assured – finds himself at a crossroads. Returning home, he must face his older brother Esau, whose blessing he had extracted from their father Isaac. One night, alone and fearing for his life, Jacob encounters the Lord in the guise of a mysterious stranger with whom he wrestles all night.
The Church’s spiritual tradition sees this “fight with God” as a metaphor for prayer. Prayer is not always easy; often it demands of us a struggle with God and a recognition of our weakness and frailty before him and his will.
Yet it is precisely in that struggle and in our woundedness that we experience the healing power of grace and grow in faith. Let us pray for The gift always to be open to this encounter with God, to the conversion of our hearts, and to the many blessings the Lord wishes to pour upon us.
I greet the English-speaking faithful joining us through the media. Upon you and your families I invoke the joy and peace of the Lord. May God bless you!
