Pope Francis confronted the “scandal” of prayers that seem to go unanswered during his Wednesday general audience by pointing to the hope found in the Resurrection, “when all human longings … will be fulfilled.”
“When people pray with a sincere heart, when they ask for things that correspond to the Kingdom of God, when a mother prays for her sick child, why does it sometimes seem that God does not listen?” the pope asked pilgrims gathered in Vatican City’s San Damaso Courtyard.
“To answer this question, we need to meditate calmly on the Gospels,” he said May 26.
The pope stressed that “God’s time is not our time” and said that the Gospel accounts of Jesus’ life are full of requests for prayer and healing.
“We see that at times Jesus’ response is immediate, whereas in some other cases it is delayed and it seems that God does not answer,” he said.
“Think of the Canaanite woman who begs Jesus for her daughter: this woman has to insist for a long time to be heard … Or think of the paralytic brought by his four friends: Jesus initially forgives his sins and only later heals his body.”