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Pope Francis: Prayer lights up Christian life


"In this age lacking in social friendship, our first task is that of building community" Pope Francis said today in his Twitter message. The Holy Father expressed the same ideas during morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta. Reflecting on the Gospel of the day, Pope Francis recalled how Jesus told his disciples "you are the salt of the earth"... "you are the light of the world."

Christians must be salt and light, but never self-serving. Salt must add flavour and light must illuminate the other.

"What must a Christian do in order for the salt not to run out, so that the oil to light the lamp does not come to an end?" Pope Francis asked.

The "battery" a Christian uses to generate light, the Pope explained, is simply prayer. "There are many things one can do, many works of charity, many great things for the Church - a Catholic University, a college, a hospital - you may even be rewarded as a benefactor of the Church with a monument, but if you do not pray, it will be dark and dimly lit" he said.

"Prayer, is what lights up Christian life," Pope Francis said. It is serious - "a prayer of adoration to God the Father, a prayer of praise to the Holy Trinity, a prayer of thanksgiving, a prayer to request to God... prayer must come from the heart."

The salt that Christians are called to be becomes salt when it is given to others. Salt is something to be used, not to keep for oneself . This, Pope Francis explained, is another Christian attitude: "to give of oneself, to give flavour to the lives of others, to give flavour to many things with the message of the Gospel."

"It's curious - both salt and light are for others, not for oneself: salt does not give flavour to itself; light does not illuminate itself."

Of course, he noted, you may be wondering how long salt and light can last without running out if we continue to give of ourselves relentlessly. "That's where the power of God comes in, the Pope explained .. salt given to us by God during Baptism, it's a gift that never ends."

And reflecting on the reading from Kings in which Zarephath's widow trusts the prophet Elijah and thus, her flour and her oil never run out, Pope Francis urged Christians to shine brightly and always overcome the temptation to shine light upon themselves.

And calling it 'mirror spirituality' he said "it is a bad thing" to want to shine light onto oneself: "Be light to illuminate, be salt to give flavour and to preserve."
"May your light shine before men so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in Heaven."

Source: Vatican Radio

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