During the Angelus prayer on Sunday, Pope Francis encouraged Christians to embrace a genuine faith and prayer that opens our hearts, rather than being based on prejudices. Addressing the pilgrims gathered in St. Peter’s Square, he reflected on the Gospel passage from John 6:41-51.

Pope highlighted how the people of Jesus’ time refused to believe that He had “come down from heaven” due to their familiarity with His background. Knowing His parents and His work as a carpenter, they doubted that God could reveal Himself in such a familiar and ordinary way. “Their faith was obstructed,” noted Pope Francis, “by their preconceived notions about His humble origins and the presumption that there was nothing to learn from Him.”

Pope Francis emphasized the detrimental effects of prejudices and closed hearts on spiritual growth. He pointed out that Jesus’ contemporaries, as described in John’s Gospel, practiced the law, prayed, and fasted, but did so only to confirm their own beliefs. “They didn’t even bother to ask Jesus for clarification,” he said. “Instead, they murmured among themselves, reinforcing their own convictions and closing themselves off like an impenetrable fortress.” Their hardened hearts and prejudices, the Pope said, prevented them from recognizing and believing in God’s Son.

Pope warned that the same closed-mindedness can affect us when we pray merely to confirm our own convictions and judgments. “True faith and prayer open the mind and heart; they do not close them,” he explained. “When someone is closed in mind and prayer, it indicates that their faith and prayer are not genuine.”

Pope Francis concluded by encouraging everyone to reflect on their ability to remain silent before the Lord and truly listen to His voice. He asked that we seek Mary’s help in listening with faith and courageously doing the Lord’s will.