Thoughts on “knocking” through prayer from Pope Francis . . .
According to Pope Francis, “Praying means knocking at the door of a friend. God is our friend”. He stated a prayer that calls for an extraordinary action must be a prayer that involves all of us, as though our very life
depends on it. In prayer, you have to put yourself to the test. Miracles happen. But they need prayer! A courageous
prayer, that struggles for that miracle. “Prayer works miracles,” Pope Francis ended, “but we must believe it. I think that
we can say a beautiful prayer, not a polite prayer, but a prayer from the heart.”
depends on it. In prayer, you have to put yourself to the test. Miracles happen. But they need prayer! A courageous
prayer, that struggles for that miracle. “Prayer works miracles,” Pope Francis ended, “but we must believe it. I think that
we can say a beautiful prayer, not a polite prayer, but a prayer from the heart.”
Pope Francis challenges us to reflect on how we pray . . . “How do we pray?" Do we pray piously and calmly out of habit or do we place ourselves courageously before the Lord to ask for grace, to
ask for what we are praying for?” Our attitude is so important, he explained, for “prayer that is not courageous is not
real prayer.” When we pray, we need “the courage to trust that the Lord is listening to us, we need the courage to knock
at the door… The Lord himself says: ‘everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will
be opened.’” Pope Francis asked: “Do we get involved in prayer? Do we know how to knock at the door of God’s heart?”
ask for what we are praying for?” Our attitude is so important, he explained, for “prayer that is not courageous is not
real prayer.” When we pray, we need “the courage to trust that the Lord is listening to us, we need the courage to knock
at the door… The Lord himself says: ‘everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will
be opened.’” Pope Francis asked: “Do we get involved in prayer? Do we know how to knock at the door of God’s heart?”
He said we must seek, ask and knock in such a way that we border on “bothering” God. The Pope said that when Jesus
taught his disciples how to pray, he told them to pray like the bothersome friend who went at midnight to ask for bread
and a little pasta for his guests. He taught us to pray “by being bothersome. I don’t know, perhaps this sounds rather bad,
but praying is a little like bothering God so that he listens to us.” “This is how Jesus teaches us to pray,” he explained.
We generally bring our requests to the Lord “one, two or three times, but without great strength, and then I tire of asking
and I forget to ask.” Jesus, on the other hand, tells us, “‘Ask!’ and he also says: ‘Knock at the door!’ and whoever knocks at
the door makes noise, he disturbs, he bothers.” “These are the words Jesus uses to tell us how we should pray.”
taught his disciples how to pray, he told them to pray like the bothersome friend who went at midnight to ask for bread
and a little pasta for his guests. He taught us to pray “by being bothersome. I don’t know, perhaps this sounds rather bad,
but praying is a little like bothering God so that he listens to us.” “This is how Jesus teaches us to pray,” he explained.
We generally bring our requests to the Lord “one, two or three times, but without great strength, and then I tire of asking
and I forget to ask.” Jesus, on the other hand, tells us, “‘Ask!’ and he also says: ‘Knock at the door!’ and whoever knocks at
the door makes noise, he disturbs, he bothers.” “These are the words Jesus uses to tell us how we should pray.”
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