The Jesuit journal in Italy on September 29 released an English-language transcription and translation of Pope Francis' meeting with Jesuits of the Russian region during his September 13-15 visit to Kazakhstan.
While much of the conversation centered on the war in Ukraine, the Holy Father also responded to personal questions. One of those, on behalf of seminarians, was simply, What's on your heart? What are you praying about?
The Pope answered with some advice on prayer: Be normal!
"Be normal also in prayer," he said. "Pray like a son to his father."
And then he asserted: "It is normality that means seriousness."
Regarding his own prayer, he said:
Boldness and arm wrestling
The Holy Father went on to make a reference to the New Testament, using the Greek word parrhesia. This word is in reference to the freedom with which ancient Greeks could speak in court, or in politics and in theater. It implies a boldness and clarity, even an obligation to speak freely, and in truth.
The Pope said that this is a "virtue" in prayer.
He further illustrated his point with reference to Genesis 18, which recounts the long back-and-forth between Abraham and God, when Abraham seems to back God down from destroying Sodom:
all the way down to:
Insistence
In this context, the Pope told the Jesuits, "Let us not forget that in prayer one needs parrhesia, clarity, courage. The model is that of Abraham, when he prays, 'Let not my Lord be angry if…' and then he makes his request in an insistent way."
The Pope said that one has to arm wrestle with God:
