Audience with Pope Francis: when necessary, don't be ashamed to pray

Praying to God in moments of joy and pain is a natural, human thing to do because it connects men and women to their father in heaven, Pope Francis said.

While people may often seek their own solutions to their sufferings and hardships, in the end "we shouldn't be shocked if we feel the need to pray, we shouldn't be ashamed," the pope said on December 9 during his weekly general audience.

“Don't be ashamed to pray, 'Lord, I need it. Sir, I'm in trouble. Help me! '"She said. Such prayers are "the cry, the cry of the heart to God who is the father".

Christians, he added, should pray “not only in bad moments, but also in happy ones, to thank God for all that is given to us, and not to take anything for granted or as if it were due to us: everything is grace. "

During the general audience, broadcast from the library of the Apostolic Palace in the Vatican, the pope continued his series of speeches on prayer and reflected on petition prayers.

Petition prayers, including the "Our Father," were taught by Christ "so that we could put ourselves in a relationship of filial trust with God and ask him all our questions," he said.

Although prayer includes pleading with God for "the highest gifts", such as "the sanctification of his name among people, the advent of his lordship, the fulfillment of his will for good in relation to the world," it also includes requests for ordinary gifts.

In the “Our Father”, the Pope said, “we also pray for the simplest gifts, for most of the daily gifts, such as“ daily bread ”- which also means health, home, work, everyday things; and it also means for the Eucharist, necessary for life in Christ “.

Christians, the pope continued, “also pray for the forgiveness of sins, which is a daily issue; we always need forgiveness and therefore peace in our relationships. And finally, to help us face temptation and free ourselves from evil “.

Asking or pleading for God "is very human", especially when someone can no longer hold back the illusion that "we don't need anything, that we are enough for ourselves and live in total self-sufficiency," he explained.

“Sometimes it seems that everything collapses, that the life lived so far has been in vain. And in these situations, when it seems that everything is falling apart, there is only one way out: the cry, the prayer: 'Lord, help me!' ”The pope said.

Petition prayers go hand in hand with accepting one's limitations, he said, and while it can even go so far as to disbelieve in God, "it's hard not to believe in prayer."

Prayer “simply exists; it comes as a cry, ”he said. "And we all know this inner voice that can remain silent for a long time, but one day it wakes up and screams."

Pope Francis encouraged Christians to pray and not be ashamed to express the wishes of their hearts. The season of Advent, he added, serves as a reminder that prayer is "always a question of patience, always, of resisting waiting".

“Now we are in the time of Advent, a time that is typically one of waiting, of waiting for Christmas. We are waiting. This is clear to see. But our whole life is also waiting. And prayer is always awaited, because we know that the Lord will answer, ”the pope said