Pope at Mass: Resting our faith on the rock of Christ
June 27, 2013: 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. "
Pope
Francis went on to analyze these "Christians of words," revealing their specific characteristics.
There is a first type – which he defined as "gnostic -"who instead of loving the rock,
loves beautiful words "and therefore lives floating on the surface of the Christian
life. And then there's the other, who Pope Francis called "pelagian", who leads a
staid and starched lifestyle. Christians, the Pope ironically added, who “stare at
their feet” :
"And this temptation exists today. Superficial Christians who
believe, yes, God, yes Christ, but not ‘everywhere’: Jesus Christ is not the one who
gives them their foundation. They are the modern gnostics. The temptation of gnosticism.
A 'liquid' Christianity. On the other hand, there are those who believe that the Christian
life should be taken so seriously that they end up confusing solidity, firmness, with
rigidity. They are rigid! This think that being Christian means being in perpetual
mourning. "
Pope Francis continued that the fact is that there “are so many”
of these Christians. But, he argued, "they are not Christians, they disguise themselves
as Christians." "They do not know – he added - what the Lord is, they do not know
what the rock is, do not have the freedom of Christians. To put it simply ‘they have
no joy ":
"The former have a ‘superficial’ happiness. The others live in perpetual
state of mourning, but do not know what Christian joy is. They do not know how to
enjoy the life that Jesus gives us, for they know not to talk to Jesus. They do not
feel that they rest on Jesus, with that firmness which the presence of Jesus gives.
And they not only have no joy, they have no freedom either. They are the slaves of
superficiality, of this life widespread, and the slaves of rigidity, they are not
free. The Holy Spirit has no place in their lives,. It is the Spirit who gives us
the freedom! Today, the Lord calls us to build our Christian life on Him, the rock,
the One who gives us freedom, the One who sends us the Spirit, that keeps us going
with joy, on His journey, following His proposals. "