The golden thread of prayer

Welcome to the world of language jobs!

Portal for Language Professionals and their Clients. 39,000+ Freelance Translators. 7,000+ Translation Agencies.

Home

The golden thread of prayer

Author: LOA Editorial Office,
"Love One Another!" 39/2017
Youth

During the send-off mass concluding the World Youth Days in Cracow, Pope Francis, commenting on the day’s Gospel (Lk 19:1-10), said that in order to meet Jesus, one must – like Zacchaeus – overcome three obstacles.

The golden thread of prayer

Low Self-Esteem

The first obstacle which the Pope spoke about at Brzegi was the “smallness of stature” of the chief tax collector. “Zacchaeus couldn’t see the Master because he was short. This is a risk for us even today. We may keep our distance from Jesus because it seems to us that we do not measure up, because we have low opinions of ourselves. This is a great temptation; it has to do not only with self-esteem, but with faith itself. Faith tells us that we are »children of God; and that is what we are« (1 John 3:1): We have been created in God’s own image; Jesus has taken upon himself our humanity and his heart will never be separated from us; the Holy Spirit wants to dwell within us. We have been called to be happy for ever with God! That is our real »stature«, our spiritual identity: we are God’s beloved children, always”.

“Jesus extends the same invitation to you: »I must stay at your house today«” (Pope Francis)

The Holy Father explained further what the consequences of low self-esteem are: “So you can see that to decline to accept ourselves, to live glumly, to be negative, means to not recognize our deepest identity. It is like walking away when God wants to look at me, trying to spoil the dream that the living God has for me. God loves us the way we are, and no sin, fault or mistake of ours will make him change his mind. As far as Jesus is concerned – as the Gospel shows – no one is unworthy of, or far from, his thoughts. No one is insignificant. He loves all of us with a special love; for him all of us are important: you are important! God counts on you for what you are, not for what you possess. In his eyes the clothes you wear or the kind of cell phone you use are of absolutely no concern. He doesn’t care whether you are stylish or not; he cares about you! In his eyes, you are precious, and your value is inestimable”.

“God counts on you for what you are, not for what you possess” (Pope Francis)

What can one do, then, when a person perceives this “smallness of stature”? Pope Francis answers: “At times in our lives, we aim lower rather than higher. At those times, it is good to realize that God remains faithful, even obstinate, in his love for us. It will be helpful for us to realize the fact that he loves us even more than we love ourselves. He believes in us even more than we believe in ourselves. He is always »cheering us on«; He is our biggest fan. He is there for us, waiting with patience and hope, even when we turn in on ourselves and brood over our troubles and past injuries. But such brooding is unworthy of our spiritual stature! It is a kind of virus infecting and blocking everything; it closes doors and prevents us from getting up and starting over. God’s hope, on the other hand, is unrelenting! He believes that we can always get up, and he won’t give up on us seeing us subdued and gloomy. Because we are always His beloved sons and daughters. Let us be mindful of this at the dawn of each new day. It will do us good to pray every morning: »Lord, I thank you for loving me; help me to be in love with my own life!« Not with my faults, that need to be corrected, but with life itself, which is a great gift, for it is a time to love and to be loved.”

Paralyzing Shame

The second obstacle that Zacchaeus had to overcome on the path to a meeting with Jesus was paralyzing shame. The Pope said this about the publican’s behavior: “Zacchaeus was a public figure, a man of power. He knew that, in trying to climb that tree, he being a leader and a man of power, would have become a laughingstock to all. Yet he mastered his shame, because the attraction of Jesus was more powerful. You know what happens when someone is so attractive that we fall in love with them: we end up ready to do things we would never have even thought of doing otherwise. Something similar took place in the heart of Zacchaeus, when he realized that Jesus was so important that he would do anything for Him, since Jesus alone could pull him out of the mire of sin and discontent. The paralysis of shame did not have the upper hand. The Gospel tells us that Zacchaeus »ran ahead«, »climbed« the tree, and then, when Jesus called him, he »hurried down« (vv. 4, 6). He took a risk, he put his life on the line […]”.

The Pope encouraged the youth to overcome their fear the way Zacchaeus did, and to open themselves to a sincere meeting with the merciful Lord: “Dear young friends, don’t be ashamed to bring everything to the Lord in confession, especially your weaknesses, your struggles and your sins. He will surprise you with his forgiveness and his peace. Don’t be afraid to say »yes« to him with all your heart, to respond generously and to follow him! Don’t let your soul grow numb, but aim for the goal of a beautiful love which also demands sacrifice. Say a firm »no« to the narcotic of success at any cost and the sedative of worrying only about yourself and your own comfort”.

The Grumbling Crowd

Pope Francis said that there is “a third obstacle that Zacchaeus had to face. It was no longer an interior one, but was all around him. It was the grumbling of the crowd, who first blocked him and then criticized him: How could Jesus have entered his house, the house of a sinner!”. This experience is not lost at the present time. How truly hard it is to welcome Jesus, how hard it is to accept a »God, who is rich in mercy« (Eph 2:4)! People will try to block you, to make you think that God is distant, rigid and insensitive, good to the good and bad to the bad. Instead, our heavenly Father »makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good« (Mt 5:45). He inspires us to seek real courage: the courage to be more powerful than evil by loving everyone, even our enemies. People may laugh at you because you believe in the gentle and unassuming power of mercy. But do not be afraid. Think of the motto of these days: »Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy« (Mt 5:7).

“Don’t let your soul grow numb, but aim for the goal of a beautiful love which also demands sacrifice. Say a firm »no« to the narcotic of success at any cost and the sedative of worrying only about yourself and your own comfort” (Pope Francis)

At the end of his homily the Pope faced the youth with the challenge: “Finally let us listen to the words that Jesus spoke to Zacchaeus, which seem meant for us today: »Come down, for I must stay at your house today« (v. 5). Open the doors of your heart to me. Jesus extends the same invitation to you: »I must stay at your house today«. We can say that World Youth Day begins today and continues tomorrow, in your homes, since that is where Jesus wants to meet you from now on. The Lord doesn’t want to remain in this beautiful city, or in cherished memories alone. He wants to enter your homes, to dwell in your daily lives: in your studies, your first years of work, your friendships and affections, your hopes and dreams. How greatly he desires that you bring all this to him in prayer! How much he hopes that, in all the »contacts« and »chats« of each day, pride of place be given to the golden thread of prayer! How much he wants his word to be able to speak to you day after day, so that you can make his Gospel your own, so that it can serve as a »compass« for you on the highways of life […]”.

The editorial staff

Source: https://loamagazine.org/archive/2017/2017-39/the-golden-thread-of-prayer

The article was published with the permission from "Love One Another!" in April 2021.