From the majestic catechesis of the Holy Father this Wednesday in his General Audience (in Italian), dedicated to the episode of Saint Peter's deliverance (Acts xii):
... It seems useful for me to recall here another difficult situation that the Christian community lived in its origins. Saint James speaks about this in his Epistle [Rorate: the Epistle is being read in Matins throughout this week in the Roman Breviary]. It is a community in crisis, in hardship, not so much due to persecution, but because envy and contention are present in its interior (Jm 1, 14-16). And the Apostle asks the reason for this situation. He uncovers two main reasons: the first is letting oneself be dominated by passions, by the dictatorship of one's own will, by selfishness (Jm 4, 1-2a); the second one if the lack of prayer - "you ask not" (Jm 4, 2b) - or the presence of a prayer that cannot be called such - "you ask, and receive not; because you ask amiss: that you may consume it on your concupiscences" (Jm 4, 3). This situation would change, according to Saint James, if the community would speak to God all together, if they would pray truly in an assiduous and unanimous fashion. ...
On the other hand, the community that accompanies Peter during his time in prison is a community that prays truly, throughout the night, together. And it is an unrestrained joy that fills the heart of all when the Apostle knocks on the door unexpectedly. It is joy and astonishment before the action of a listening God. Therefore, the prayer for Peter comes from the Church, and to the Church he returns to tell them "how the Lord had brought him out of prison" (At 12, 17). In that Church in which he was placed as the rock (Mt 16, 18), Peter tells his own "Easter" of liberation: he experiences, in following Jesus, true liberty, he is covered with the resplendent light of the Resurrection and can thus witness even unto martyrdom that the Lord is the Risen one, and "in very deed hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod" (At 12, 11). The martyrdom that he will suffer in Rome later will definitely unite him to Christ, who had told him: when thou shalt be old, another shall gird thee, and lead thee whither thou wouldst not, in order to signify by what death he should glorify God (Jn 21, 18-19)
Dear brothers and sisters, the episode of the deliverance of Peter narrated by Luke tells us that the Church, each one of us, goes through the night of trial, but it is the unceasing vigilance of prayer that sustains us. From the first moment of my election as Successor of Saint Peter, also I have always felt supported by your prayer, by the prayer of the Church, above all in the most difficult moments. I thank you heartily. With constant and confident prayer, the Lord delivers us from the chains, leads us through any night of imprisonment that may torture our heart, grants us the serenity of heart to face the hardships of life, even rejection, opposition, persecution. The episode of Peter shows us the power of prayer. And the Apostle, even if in chains, feels calm, sure that he is never alone: the community is praying for him, the Lord is near; he also knows that "the power of Christ is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor 12, 9). Constant and unanimous prayer is a precious instrument also to overcome the trials that may appear in the path of life, because it means being deeply united to God, which allows us to be also deeply united to others. Thank you.
Let us pray deeply for the Holy Father.
