Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Catholic News

Home

Home
Catholic
Religion News
Archbishop Chaput lauds Pope’s display of God’s tenderness

Archbishop Chaput lauds Pope’s display of God’s tenderness

Last updated on: October 3, 2013 at 8:02 am by CNA Daily News

Archbishop Chaput lauds Pope’s display of God’s tenderness 2013-10-03T08:02:00+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.

Philadelphia, Pa., Oct 3, 2013 / 02:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Pope Francis’ papacy has been marked by a distinct emphasis on the poor and a unique ability to convey God’s tenderness, Archbishop Charles Chaput of Philadelphia said Oct. 1 at the seminary of his archdiocese.

“Anyone hoping for – or worried about – a break by Pope Francis from Catholic teaching on matters of substance is going to be mistaken,” the archbishop said at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia.

“At the same time, the tone of this pontificate will certainly be distinct from anything in the past century.”

His address was part of the Philadelphia archdiocese's Year of Faith lecture series.

Archbishop Chaput particularly noted how the Pope has attracted the attention of so many people.

“The reason the world has paused for Pope Francis – if only for a little while – is that so many people sense in him something more than himself; not just God’s truth and God’s justice, but God’s tenderness.”

He said that Pope Francis is shaped by “the global south” and by “the poor who inhabit it.”

“God will guide his Church. And God will fill this holy man who is our Pope with the wisdom to lead us well.”

Archbishop Chaput examined the goals of the Year of Faith, which lasts from Oct. 11, 2012 to Nov. 24, 2013. He explained that the observance is intended to help encourage Christians to profess their faith “more fully and with conviction,” to deepen their encounter with Jesus Christ in the liturgy and the Eucharist, and to witness to the faith through the example of their lives.

He warned against treating Christianity as only habit and appearance, saying, “the words and habits of religion are easy. We can sometimes use them to fool ourselves. We need to drill down below the counterfeit Christianity so many of us prefer into the substance of who we are and what we really treasure.”

Catholics, he said, “need to let God transform us from the inside out,” adding that this conversion requires “humility, patience and love.”

“It requires letting go of the desire to vindicate ourselves at the expense of others. So much of modern life, even in the Church, is laced with a spirit of anger. And anger is an addiction as intense and as toxic as crack,” he warned.

The archbishop admonished against identifying the “new evangelization” with techniques, technologies or programs.

Rather, its main instrument is “you and me.”

“There’s no way around those words: Repent and believe in the gospel. The world will change only when you change, when we change, because hearts are won by pe rsonal witness. And we can’t share what we don’t have.”

Repentance, he said, “makes us new” by “healing the evil we’ve done.” Belief in the gospel gives Christians hope that despite their failures and sins, “the greatness of God’s love can reach down and redeem even us.”

The archbishop also discussed what Benedict XVI called the modern world’s “profound crisis of faith” and the modern world’s inability to find happiness.

“Human beings are more than a bundle of appetites. Our longings go beyond what we can see and touch and taste. We were made for God.”

Materialist answers to questions about the soul “can never be more than a narcotic,” he reflected.

“So much of the suffering in modern American life – we see it every day – can be traced to our misdirected desires, and the distractions we use to feed them. We look for joy and purpose in things that can never give us either.”

He said Catholics need to prove their beliefs through “the zeal and joy of our lives.”

Catholics need to “forgive each other, protect the weak, serve the needy, raise the young in virtue, speak with courage, and work for the truth without ceasing – always in a spirit of love.”

Archbishop Chaput said God’s love is “the heart of the matter.”

He prayed that God “turn our hearts to him, and make us a 'fire upon the earth' – a fire that lifts up his creation in love.”

Previous Post

October 3, 2013

Pastor laments vandalism at Buenos Aires parish

Next Post

October 3, 2013 Ave Maria University reduces tuition to ease burden on families

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

What was Paul's native language?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Greek Latin Aramaic Hebrew