Almighty God Is Not Indifferent to Our Tears

John Paul II urged Christians to recover an awareness of their limitations in order to be able to live in joyful dependence on God.

“The Lord does not remain indifferent to the tears of the suffering; he responds, consoles and saves us even though his ways do not always coincide with our expectations,” the Holy Father told thousands of pilgrims gathered in Paul VI Hall Feb. 27 for his midweek general audience.

Continuing his more-than-yearlong series of meditations on psalms and canticles of the Old Testament, the Pope reflected on the drama experienced by King Hezekiah of Judah, who was led by illness to the threshold of death.

When God restored his health, the king responded with an emotional prayer of thanksgiving — a prayer with which every Christian could identify “in the darkness of night and of trial” and “in the light of day and of joy,” the Holy Father said.

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis