Pope: Christians and the temptation to "sell ourselves" to be "normal" and "like everyone else"
Vatican City ( AsiaNews ) - Christians, as the chosen people, are frequently tempted to "sell" their being children of God in order to feel "normal", " like all the nations ." In this way they forget the Word of God and follow their own desires. This was the focus of Pope Francis' homily today at Mass celebrated in Casa Santa Marta.
As reported by Vatican Radio, the
Pope spoke of this temptation, referring to the first reading of the Mass (1
Sam 8,4-7.10-22 a) , which speaks of the Jewish people request of the prophet
Samuel to have a king " like
all other nations . "
"
They reject the Lord of love - said Francis - they reject their election and
seek the path of worldliness", of "worldly uniformity" , similar
to many Christians today.
"The
normality of life - he said - demands faithfulness to his election from the
Christian and not to sell out to worldly normality. This is the temptation of
the people, and also ours. Many times, we forget the Word of God , what the
Lord tells us, and choose the word in fashion, no? Even that of the soap opera is
fashionable, we choose that, it's more fun ! Apostasy is precisely the sin of
breaking with the Lord, but it is clear: Apostasy is
clearly seen. Worldliness is more dangerous, because it is more subtle ".
"It
's true - he added - that the Christian must be normal, like people are normal...
but there are values that the Christian can not take for himself . Christians
must be held upon himself the Word of God," without feel
besieged by" a certain inferiority complex", because they do not feel
like "normal people" .
"Temptation
comes - he continued - and hardens the heart and when the heart is hard, when
the heart is not open, the Word of God can not enter. Jesus said to the
disciples in Emmaus: ' O foolish men, and slow of heart!'. They
had a hard heart, they could not understand the Word of God worldliness softens
the heart, but that is bad: a soft heart is never a good thing! What is good is
a heart open to the Word of God, a heart that welcomes it. Like the Virgin, who
pondered all these things in her heart, says the Gospel. Welcome the Word of
God so as not to distance ourselves from our election".
Let
us ask, he concluded, " the grace to overcome our selfishness : the selfishness
of wanting to have my own way, do as I want": "Let us ask for the
grace to overcome them and ask for the grace of spiritual docility, that is to
open our heart to
the Word of God and no do as our brothers did, who closed their hearts because
they had turned away from God and did not hear of understand the Word of God
for a long time. May the Lord give us
the grace of an open heart to receive the
Word of God and meditate upon it forever. And from there take the true path . "
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01/05/2020 17:00
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