Pope explains mystery of prayer and patience

28 June, 2013 - Pope Francis on Friday reminded Christians that the Lord, who is patient with us, expects us to be patient with Him, saying sometimes he is quick in answering our prayers, sometimes He takes time. He was reflecting on the scripture readings of the Mass he celebrated in the morning at the Casa Santa Marta residence in the Vatican. While the Lord slowly enters the life of Abraham, who is 99 years old when He promises him a son, Jesus listens to the plea of a leper and heals him immediately. The Pope said there is no ‘set protocol’ of action of God in our life", but He always intervenes. There is "always this meeting between us and the Lord," he said. The Lord always chooses His way to enter into our lives. Often He does so slowly that we are a little in danger of losing our patience. ‘”When Oh Lord, when?” we keep on praying, and He doesn’t seem to intervene. At other times, when the Lord promises us great things, we become sceptical, smiling to ourselves a bit, like Abraham who found it impossible to believe he could father a son with his wife Sarah who was 90. “How often, when the Lord does not intervene, does not do what we want Him to do, we become impatient or sceptical?" the Pope asked. “But,” the Pope said, “He does not intervene… for sceptics.” The Lord is patient with us until the end of life, like the Good Thief who acknowledged God at the very end. The Lord walks with us, without revealing Himself, as in the case of the disciples of Emmaus. But to see Him we need patience, as the Lord Himself has a lot of patience with us, the Pope added.