Prayer brings inner peace and serenity, Pope says

Vatican City, Apr 20, 2004 / 22:00 pm

Explaining  Psalm 26 during his regular Wednesday General Audience, Pope John Paul II said that the true way to achieve inner peace and serenity is prayer.

The Pontiff  said that the key theme of  the psalm  entitled “Faith in God in the face of danger,” is “faith in God, in good times and in bad.” 

The first part, he said, “is marked by great serenity, based on faith in God on the dark day of the assault of the wicked.”

“The life of the believer,” he continued, “is often filled with tensions and trials, sometimes even to the point of rejection and persecution. The behavior of the just causes annoyance because it serves as a reminder to the pompous and perverse.”

The Holy Father indicated that “the faithful are conscious that following God’s law isolates them and even provokes scorn and hostility in a society that often chooses personal advantage, outward success, wealth, wanton enjoyment as a reference point.”

“Nevertheless –he continued,- they are not alone and their heart possesses a surprising inner peace because, as the splendid opening antiphon of the psalm says, ‘the Lord is light and salvation, He defends the life of the just.”

The Pope said that “inner peace, fortitude of the soul and peace are gifts that are obtained while finding refuge in the temple, while resorting to personal and community prayer.”

“The Lord,” he ended, “creates a horizon of peace around the faithful, a horizon which protects them from evil. Communion with God is a source of serenity, joy, peace; it is like entering into an oasis of light and love.”