prayer is the gentle force that protects and sustains the world

At the Angelus, he invited people not to tire of praying for peace and also to remember the victims of the forgotten wars that bloodied the world. The prophet “is not the one who predicts the future, but each one of us when he by virtue of Baptism shows Jesus to others. That is why even the smallest member of the Church has something important to say”.

Vatican City () – Prayer is the “gentle force that protects and sustains the world”. Pope Francis reminded him again this morning at the end of the Angelus, and invited the faithful present in Saint Peter’s Square to pray for the victims of the many wars that cover the world in blood.

“Even in this summer season – said the pontiff – let us not tire of praying for peace, especially for the Ukrainian people, so tried. And let us not neglect the other wars, which unfortunately are often forgotten, and the numerous conflicts and confrontations that cover many places on earth with blood. Let us pay attention to what is happening -he added-, let us help those who suffer and pray”.

Regarding the evangelical passage that today proposes the liturgy (Mt 10,41), Francis spoke about the true characteristics of the figure of the prophet. “Some imagine him as a kind of magician who predicts the future; this is a superstitious idea and the Christian does not believe in superstitions, such as magic, cards, horoscopes and the like,” he commented. The prophet -on the contrary- “is each one of us” when “by virtue of Baptism, we help others to read the present under the action of the Holy Spirit, who guides us to understand God’s designs and respond to them. In other words, the prophet is the one who shows Jesus to others, who bears witness to Him, who helps to live today and build tomorrow according to his plans”.

That is why he invited us to ask ourselves: “I, who was chosen as a prophet at Baptism, do I speak and, above all, do I live as a witness of Jesus? Do I bring a little of your light to someone’s life? “But the Lord in the Gospel – added the Pope – also asks to welcome the prophets; therefore it is important to welcome one another as such, as bearers of a message from God, each according to his state and vocation. And do it there where we live: in the family, in the parish, in religious communities, in other spheres of the Church and of society”. “The Spirit – he underlined – has distributed gifts of prophecy in the Holy People of God, and for this reason it is good to listen to everyone. For example, when an important decision has to be made, it is good first of all to pray, invoke the Spirit, but then listen and dialogue, with the confidence that each one, even the smallest, has something important to say, a prophetic gift that share. This is how the truth is sought – he concluded – and a climate of listening to God and brothers is spread, in which people do not feel welcomed only if they say what I like, but rather feel welcomed and valued as gifts , for what they are”.