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
Life isn’t Christian without a cross, Pope Francis assures

Life isn’t Christian without a cross, Pope Francis assures

Last updated on: September 26, 2014 at 4:03 pm by CNA Daily News

Life isn’t Christian without a cross, Pope Francis assures 2014-09-26T16:03:00+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, Sep 26, 2014 / 10:03 am (CNA).- Christ as Redeemer cannot be understood save through a willingness to take up the cross, said Pope Francis during his homily for Mass on Friday morning.

The Christian, he said Sept. 26, addressing the congregation gathered in the chapel of the Santa Martha residence, is like the “Cyrene” – referring here to Simon of Cyrene – who helped Christ carry his own Cross.

On the other hand, those who do not take up the cross move forward along a path that only appears to be good.

Christ “prepares us to be the Cyrenians to help him carry the Cross,” the Holy Father said. Without the Cross, “our Christian life” is not Christian.

Our true identity as Christians must be protected, he said. To be a Christian is not something that is earned, but rather a “spiritual path to perfection … it is pure grace.”

Reflecting on the Gospel reading for the day, Pope Francis reflected on the scene in which Christ asks his disciples who the people say that he is, and in turn receives a variety of answers.

This passage, he notes, demonstrates how Christ protected “his true identity.” The Pope recalled how Christ protected his identity at other points of the Gospel as well, such as when he prevented the demons from revealing his identity as the Son of God.

Christ did this, the Pope said, because the people believed the Messiah would be a military leader who would drive out the Romans. It was only to disciples whom he began to “catechize” as to his “true identity.”

“The Son of Man… the Messiah, the Anointed one,” must endure great suffering, and be “rejected by the elders, by chief priests and scribes, to be put to death and to rise again.”

“This is the path of your freedom,” he continued. “This is the way of the Messiah, of the Just: the Passion, the Cross.”

In the Gospel passage, the Pope noted how the disciples did not want to understand what Christ was revealing to them with regard to his Passion. Christ, then, “begins to open the mystery of his own identity: 'Yes, I am the Son of God. But this is the way: I must take this path of suffering'.”

Pope Francis said this is the “pedagogy” which Christ used “to prepare the hearts of the disciples, the hearts of the people, to understand this Mystery of God”.

“So great is God's love, so hideous is sin,” that Christ saves us “with this identity in the Cross.”

“You cannot understand Jesus Christ the Redeemer without the Cross.”

However, the “hearts of the disciples, the hearts of the people,” were not ready to understand Christ in terms of the Cross.

“They did not understood the prophecies, they did not understand that he was in fact the Lamb of God for the sacrifice.”

It was not until Palm Sunday that Christ allowed the crowds to “more or less” reveal his identity by letting them cry out: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

The reason for this, the Pope quoted, is that “if this people does not cry out, the stones would have cried out!”

Rather, it is only after his death that Christ's identity fully appears, and the “first confession” is made by the Roman centurion.

“Step by step,” the Pope said, Christ prepares us to understand well. He “prepares us to accompany him with our crosses along the path towards redemption.”

Vatican

Previous Post

September 26, 2014

On 30th anniversary, Project Rachel looks to a global future

Next Post

September 26, 2014 Benedict XVI to attend meeting with elderly this weekend

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

True or False: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.

Select your answer to see how you score.

FALSE TRUE