Matrimony As Everyday Life Must Be Self-Gift - Or There Is No Bond
Pope: Christianity means giving witness to
Christ every day
May. 6, 2014
Christianity is not a school of ideas or a collection of beautiful
temples and lovely art; it is a living people who follow Jesus and give witness
to him every day, Pope Francis said.
"Am
I a Christian giving witness to Jesus or am I a simple numerary of this
sect," unable to let the Holy Spirit "drive me forward in my
Christian vocation?" he asked in his homily at Mass Tuesday in the Domus
Sanctae Marthae, where he lives.
"A Christian who doesn't give witness is unfathomable,"
he said, according to a report by Vatican Radio.
"We are not a religion of ideas, of pure theology, of
beautiful things and commandments.
"No, we are a people who follow Jesus Christ and give witness
-- that is, want to give witness to Jesus Christ -- and this witness sometimes
ends up being giving one's life," he said.
In his homily, the pope looked at the martyrdom
of St. Stephen, the first martyr of the church. Like Jesus, the saint was the
object of jealous leaders who wanted to eliminate him and the target of false
witnesses, the pope said.
But St. Stephen knew his accusers were resisting the Holy Spirit
and he died, like Jesus, asking his persecutors be forgiven.
Those responsible for the martyr's death were filled with hate --
a hate that had been sown in their hearts by the devil, the pope said.
That is why, in one of the beatitudes, Jesus said, "blessed
are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil
against you falsely because of me."
Being persecuted, becoming a martyr, giving one's life for Jesus
are all reasons to rejoice because "the blood of martyrs is the seed of
Christians," he said.
"The devil can't stand seeing the holiness of the church or
the holiness of a person without trying to cause some kind of trouble," he
said.
Giving witness always bears fruit, he said, whether it is just
one's daily witness to Christ, witness during very difficult times, during
persecution or witness that ends with death.
"The church bears fruit and is a mother when it gives witness
to Jesus Christ."
The church becomes sterile when it closes up inside itself, when
"it believes itself to be, let's say, a 'school of religion' with lots of
beautiful ideas, with many beautiful temples, with many fine museums, with many
gorgeous things."
Christians who don't give to others the new life they've been
given by Christ remain "sterile," he said.
But people need the help of the Holy Spirit, especially in
difficult moments, when faced with hard choices or when tempted by the many
things "we have to say, 'no' to," he said.
Pray to the Holy Spirit who "makes us strong in order to take
the path of witness."
No comments:
Post a Comment