(Vatican Radio) A pilgrimage is an occasion where one must “knock on the Lord’s heart
for the many needs that we have,” Pope Francis told a group of pilgrims from Liguria
on Saturday. “And the Lord listens. He always listens.”
While it is beautiful
to be at St. Peter’s in Rome and to participate in the Mass, the focus of pilgrimage
must always be the Lord, to encounter him and to grow in faith.
“It is a spiritual
encounter that helps us to go forward in the journey of life,” he said.
“Each
one of you has something on your heart: a desire, a problem, a difficulty, something
to say to the Lord,” he continued. “Benefit from these days, here, to find a solution
to these things and to grow closer to the Lord. The Lord always waits for you, for
all of us. The Lord does not tire in waiting for us; he always waits for us.”
While
the Lord may not always offer the solution for which we ask in prayer, the Pope said,
“he always listens.”
He concluded by asking the pilgrims to pray for him and
to greet on his behalf the children, the elderly and the sick in their milieus.