Pope to pilgrims: ‘Knock on the Lord's heart'

(Vatican Radio) A pilgrimage is an occasion where one must “knock on the Lord’s heart for the many needs that we have,” Pope Francis told a group of pilgrims from Liguria on Saturday. “And the Lord listens. He always listens.”While it is beautiful to be at St. Peter’s in Rome and to participate in the Mass, the focus of pilgrimage must always be the Lord, to encounter him and to grow in faith. “It is a spiritual encounter that helps us to go forward in the journey of life,” he said. “Each one of you has something on your heart: a desire, a problem, a difficulty, something to say to the Lord,” he continued. “Benefit from these days, here, to find a solution to these things and to grow closer to the Lord. The Lord always waits for you, for all of us. The Lord does not tire in waiting for us; he always waits for us.”While the Lord may not always offer the solution for which we ask in prayer, the Pope said, “he always listens.”He concluded by asking the pilgrims to pray for him and to greet on his behalf the children, the elderly and the sick in their milieus. Report by Laura Ieraci