I like reading the Pope's tweets in Latin because it slows me down a bit. This morning he said:
Rogemus Deum ut veniam petere audeamus et audire quae Ipse nobis dicit discere valeamus.
— Papa Franciscus (@Pontifex_ln) January 16, 2018
At first, skimming through, I thought his audeamus was telling us to listen, but then I realized I had the wrong verb altogether: audeo is different from audio. What he actually says is, "Let us ask God that we might dare to seek his mercy." I love that phrasing: the reminder that we cannot approach the throne of grace on our own merits, but we can do so confidently, with holy boldness, in the name of Jesus.
The Twitter English translation of the second half begins "...and to learn how to listen..." But oh, there's another lovely verb tucked in the Latin: that valeamus means "that we might be strong [or, alternatively, "that we might be well," or "that we might be healthy"] to learn to listen to what He Himself says to us." It reminds me that a habit of listening to God requires spiritual health and strength. It needs to be nurtured.
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