The Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, Sean Patrick O’Malleyparticipated in the LIV Conference on Theology of the Pontifical University of Salamanca, with the conference entitled Pray in a suffering world. Monsignor O’Malley testified to his pastoral experience.
In his speech, Cardinal O’Malley, accompanied by the Dean of Theology, Francesco Garciaand the conference coordinator, Miguel Angelo Penahe recounted experiences of his commitment in defense of life.
The Cardinal called for assiduous meditation on the Psalms and the Gospels, contemplating Christ
“In a world where science seems to have made spirituality and transcendence disappear, prayer gives us reasons for our life and it fills pain, suffering and death with meaning. From St. Francis we can discover the meaning of these negativities by reading the book which is the very cross of Christ, where he offers the Father in the Holy Spirit the entire history of humanity, positive and negative, transforming it into life through the resurrection “, he declared the cardinal.
Prayer gives us reason for our life and fills pain, suffering and death with meaning
In addition, the American monsignor recalled, citing the cardinal Martini, that the first thing Jesus did was heal the sick, cast out demons, care for the poor and bless the children. That means, works of mercy. The second was to evangelize, to make known the message of the Kingdom of God. “However, people will believe it only when they see that we take care of them,” she warned.
The Cardinal urged assiduous meditation on the Psalms and the Gospels, contemplating Christ as man and teacher of prayer. He also recalled various masters of Christian spirituality, and highlighted the prayer of the Our Father, “where he reveals to us the divine fatherhood, which includes motherhood”.
The archbishop of Boston concluded his speech with a message: «True prayer always says yes to God’s willas they show us the life of Mary and the saints ».
