Pope Francis: God listens to all: sinner, saint, victim, murderer

"Everyone lives a life that is often inconsistent or contradictory because people can be both a sinner and a saint, a victim and a tormentor No matter what one´s situation is, people can put themselves back in God´s hands through prayer," said Pope Francis on June 24 during his weekly general audience.

The General Audience, broadcast live from the library of the Apostolic Palace, was the last talk of the Pope´s general audience until Aug. 5, according to Vatican News. However, his Sunday Angelus audiences will continue throughout the month of July.

With the beginning of the summer holidays for many, Pope Francis said he hoped that people could have a moment of peaceful rest despite the ongoing restrictions "related to the threat of infection by the coronavirus.

"Let it be a time of enjoying the beauty of creation and strengthening the bonds with humanity and God," Pope Francis said in a greeting to Polish-speaking viewers and listeners.

Prayer protects our relationship with God.

In his main reflection, Pope Francis continued his series on prayer and reflected on the role of prayer in the life of David, a young shepherd whom God called to become the king of Israel.

Prayer gives us nobility; it is able to protect one´s relationship with God, who is the true companion on the journey of humanity, in the midst of thousands of difficulties in life, good or bad, but always with prayer

David learned early on that a shepherd cares for his flock, protects it from danger and keeps it... Jesus is also called the Good Shepherd because he offers his life for his flock, guiding them, knowing each one by name.

When David was later confronted by his terrible sins, he realized that he had become a bad shepherd, someone who was sick with power, a poacher who kills and plunders. He was no longer acting as a humble servant, but had stolen from another man the only thing he loved when he took the man´s wife as his own.

David wanted to be a good shepherd, but sometimes he failed and sometimes he succeeded. Holy and sinful, persecuted and persecutor, victim and even executioner, David was full of contradictions, being all these things in his life.

Always talking to God.

But the only thing that remained constant was his prayerful dialogue with God. David the saint, pray, David the sinner, pray, always raising his voice to God either in joy or in deep despair

This is what David can teach the faithful today, he said: always talk to God, no matter what the circumstances or one´s state, because everyone´s life is often marked by contradictions and inconsistencies.

People should tell God about their joys, sins, sorrows and love, everything, because God is always there, and he listens. Prayer brings people back to God because the nobility of prayer leaves us in God´s hands

Pope Francis also noted the feast of the birth of St. John the Baptist. He asked that people learn from this saint how to be courageous witnesses to the Gospel, above any individual differences, "preserving the harmony and friendship that are the basis of the credibility of any proclamation of faith.