Being Christian means risking following Jesus, Pope teaches

Last updated on: April 22, 2013 at 10:57 am by CNA Daily News

Being Christian means risking following Jesus, Pope teaches 2013-04-22T10:57:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Vatican City, Apr 22, 2013 / 04:57 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Lukewarm Christians try to build a church that conforms to their own common sense and see too much risk in following Jesus, Pope Francis preached.

“They are Christians of good sense only: they keep their distance. Christians, so to speak, who are ‘satellites,’ that have a church small in size: to quote the words of Jesus in Revelation, ‘lukewarm Christians,’” the Pope said at the April 20 morning Mass in the chapel of St. Martha’s residence.

“They walk only in the presence of common sense, common sense … that worldly prudence: this is a temptation (to use) just worldly prudence,” he added.

He delivered his homily on the Gospel reading from John 6 in which Jesus declares that unless believers eat his flesh and drink his blood they will not have eternal life. Participants in the Mass included volunteers from the Vatican’s St. Martha pediatric dispensary, along with the Daughters of Charity of Saint Vincent De Paul who run the outreach.

"These people have turned away, they are gone, they say, 'this man is a bit strange, he says things that are hard,’” the Pope said referring to the Gospel reading.

“‘It's too big a risk to go down this road. We have common sense, eh? Let's go back a little and not (be) so close to him.’ These people, perhaps, had a certain admiration for Jesus, but a little from afar: ‘not to meddle too much with this man, because he says things that are a bit strange,’” the Pope summarized.

But “these Christians are not united in the Church, they do not walk in God's presence, they don’t have the security of the Holy Spirit, they do not make up the Church,” he stated, describing them as “Christian satellites.”

Today, the Pope noted, there are so many Christians who “bear witness to the name of Jesus, even unto martyrdom.”

And these believers are not ‘Christian satellites,’ because “they go with Jesus on the path of Jesus,” the Holy Father said.

Reflecting on the first reading that described the life of the early Christians, Pope Francis pointed out that the first believers went through a period of persecution, it walked and grew “in the fear of the Lord and with the comfort of the Holy Spirit.”

"It is a style of the Church. To walk in the fear of the Lord is a sense of adoration, the presence of God, no? The Church walks and so when we are in the presence of God we do not do bad things or make bad decisions,” he commented.

And being “in God’s sight with joy and happiness: this is the security of the Holy Spirit, that is the gift that the Lord has given us – this comfort – that keeps us going,” the Pope preached.

“Let us pray for the Church,” he said, that it “will continue to grow, unite, to walk in the fear of God and with the security of the Holy Spirit.

“May the Lord deliver us from the temptation of that ‘common sense,’ and in inverted commas, the temptation to whisper against Jesus, ‘because it is too demanding,’ and from the temptation of scandal.”

Vatican

Previous Post

April 21, 2013

Catholic agency hopes for lasting food aid reform

Next Post

April 22, 2013 No room for self-promoters in God's kingdom, Pope says

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How many commandments were written on stone tablets?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Seven Ten Twelve Thirteen