(Vatican Radio) In his Mass on Saturday morning at the Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis
said being Christian “does not mean doing things, but allowing oneself to be renewed
by the Holy Spirit.” The Pope emphasised that even in the life of the Church there
are “ancient structures” to be renewed without fear.
“New wine in new wineskins.”
In his homily, Pope Francis dwelt on the renewal that Jesus brings. “The doctrine
of the law,” he noted, “is enriched, renewed with Jesus . . . Jesus makes all things
new.” He said Jesus brings a “true renewal of the law, the same law, but more mature,
renewed.” He explained that what Jesus requires of us is greater than the requirements
of the law. The law allows us to hate our enemy; Jesus, on the other hand, tells us
to pray for him. This, then, is “the Kingdom of God that Jesus preaches”: a renewal
above all “in our heart.” We think that “being Christian means doing this, or doing
that; but it is not so:
“Being Christian means allowing oneself to be renewed
by Jesus in this new life. ‘I am a good Christian, I go to Mass every Sunday from
11 til noon, I do this, I do that’. . . as if it were a collection. But the Christian
life is not a collage of things. It is a harmonious whole, harmonious, and the Holy
Spirit does it! He renews all things: He renews our heart, our life, and makes us
live differently, but in a way that takes up the whole of our life. You cannot be
a Christian of pieces, a part time Christian. Being a part-time Christian simply doesn’t
work! The whole, everything, full-time. The Spirit accomplishes this renewal. Being
Christian ultimately means, not doing things, but allowing oneself to be renewed by
the Holy Spirit – or, to use the words of Jesus, becoming new wine.”
The
newness of the Gospel, he continued, is really new, “but in the same law that comes
in the history of Salvation.” And this newness, he said, “goes beyond us,” it renews
us and “renews the structures.” This is why Jesus says that new wineskins are necessary
for new wine:
“In the Christian life, even in the life of the Church, there
are old structures, passing structures: it is necessary to renew them! And the Church
has always been attentive to this, with dialogue with cultures . . . It always allows
itself to be renewed according to places, times, and persons. The Church has always
done this! From the very first moment, we remember the first theological battle: was
it necessary to carry out all of the Jewish practices in order to be Christian? No!
They said no! The gentiles could enter as they are: gentiles . . . Entering into the
Church and receiving Baptism. A first renewal of the structures. . . . And so the
Church always goes forward, giving space to the Holy Spirit that renews these structures,
structures of the churches. Don’t be afraid of that! Don’t be afraid of the newness
of the Gospel! Don’t be afraid of the newness that the Holy Spirit works in us! Don’t
be afraid of the renewal of structures!”
The Church, he said, “is free:
the Holy Spirit carries her forward.” The Gospel teaches this: “the liberty to always
find the newness of the Gospel in us, in our life, and even in our structures.” The
Pope then re-iterated the importance of the “freedom to choose new wineskins for this
newness.” He added that the Christian is free, “with that liberty” that Jesus gives
us. A Christian “is not a slave of habits, of structures. . . . The Spirit carries
[the Christian] forward.” The Pope then recalled that on the day of Pentecost, the
Madonna was there with the disciples:
“And where the mother is, the children
are safe! All of them! Let us ask for the grace of not being afraid of the newness
of the Gospel, of not being afraid of the renewal that the Holy Spirit brings, of
not being afraid to let go of the passing structures that imprison us. If we are afraid,
we know that the Mother is with us. And like children who are a little afraid, let
us go to her – and she, as the ancient antiphon says, – ‘will protect us with her
cloak, with her motherly protection.’ Amen.
A group of Swiss Guard recruits
took part in Saturday's liturgy, the last group to take part in the Pope's daily Mass
before the summer break.