Pope Francis reflected on a surprising reaction from Jesus. When the world begins to turn its back on him, instead of complaining, he praises God.
POPE FRANCIS
In those moments Jesus, who has often recommended the prayer of asking questions, at the very moment when He would have had reason to ask the Father for explanations, instead begins to praise Him. It seems to be a contradiction, but it is the truth.
That difficult moment in Jesus' life was when he saw that his preaching was not well received by all. However, he praised God because a group of people did respond positively, the humble.
POPE FRANCIS
His prayer also leads us, the readers of the Gospel, to judge our personal defeats in a different way, to judge in a different way the situations in which we do not clearly see the presence and action of God.
The pope explained that Jesus praises God because he was able to see God's hand behind difficult situations.
POPE FRANCIS
Jesus rejoices in His spirit because He knows and He feels that His Father is the God of the Universe; and vice versa, the Lord of all that exists is Father, “My Father.” Praise springs from this experience of feeling that He is “Son of the Most High.”
With this catechesis, the pope continued his series on all aspects of Jesus' prayer, which he had paused during Christmas.
Javier Romero
Translation: Christian Campos