Pope at Mass: Resting our faith on the rock of Christ

[meow2u3]

(Vatican Radio) There are people who "masquerade as Christians," and sin by being excessively superficial or overly rigid, forgetting that a true Christian is a person of joy who rests their faith on the rock of Christ. Some think they can be Christian without Christ; others think being Christian means being in a perpetual state mourning. This was the focus of Pope Francis’ homily at morning Mass on Thursday.

Rigid and sad. Or happy but with no idea of ​​Christian joy. These are two - in a sense opposite - "houses", in which two categories of believers live and which are both seriously flawed: they are grounded in a Christianity made of words and fail to rely on the "rock" of the Word of Christ. Pope Francis identified both groups in his comments on the Gospel of the day, the famous passage from Matthew of the houses built on sand and rock.

"In the history of the Church there have been two classes of Christians: Christians of words - those" Lord, Lord, Lord "- and Christians of action, in truth. There has always been the temptation to live our Christianity not on the rock that is Christ. The only one who gives us the freedom to say 'Father' to God is Christ, our rock. He is the only one who sustains us in difficult times, no? As Jesus said: the rain falls, rivers overflow, winds blow, but the rock is safe, words, the words take flight, they are not needed. But this is the temptation of these Christians of words, of a Christianity without Jesus, a Christianity without Christ. And this has happened and is happening today in the Church: being Christians without Christ. "


Text from page http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/06/27/pope_at_mass:_resting_our_faith_on_the_rock_of_christ/en1-705319
of the Vatican Radio website

http://en.radiovaticana.va/news/2013/06/27/pope_at_mass:_resting_our_faith_on_the_rock_of_christ/en1-705319

So that explains why we can't reason with conservative "Christians."

[Fortinbras Armstrong]

1. As G. K. Chesterton said,

"The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried."

[IrishAyes]

2. So true.

Nobody put it better, but Dorothy Day said along the same lines, "I can tell you exactly how much you love God. You love God as much as you love the person you love the least."

Admittedly there is no reasoning with conservative Christians. But as a wise friend has reminded me, we still need to love them. Too often I fail miserably. I've begun to wonder if perhaps that's what God brought me here where I am, to learn.

[demosincebirth]

3. I was told years ago that we should strive for spiritual perfection. I fail in many

ways, but I try to keep chugging along.