God can bring comfort where
our reason alone cannot, Pope Francis said Thursday at his
Jubilee prayer vigil to "dry the tears" of physical and
spiritual sufferers.
"In moments of sadness, of suffering from illness, from the
anguish of persecution and the pain of mourning, each of us
seeks a word of comfort," he said. "We feel the strong need for
someone to be close and to feel compassion for us".
At times like these the mind fills with questions but the
answers don't come, and reason alone cannot guide us in the face
of such questions, he said.
This is when "we need the reasons of the heart, the only
ones that can help us understand the mystery that surrounds our
loneliness," Francis said.
"We see so much sadness in the many faces we meet," the
pope said.
"How many tears are being shed at every instant throughout
the world - each different from the next, all together forming
an ocean of desolation calling for mercy, compassion, and
comfort".
"The bitterest tears are those caused by human wickedness,"
Francis said.
"The tears of those who have seen loved ones torn away from
them - the tears of grandparents, of mothers and fathers, of
children" .
"We need mercy, we need the consolation that comes from
the Lord," he said.
"We all need it, and this is our misery but also our
greatness - to invoke the comfort of God, who comes in
tenderness to dry our tears".
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