Print friendly
Pope Francis has criticised people who masquerade as Christians, either rejecting the challenge of the Gospel or rejecting the joy and freedom the Holy Spirit gives.
“In the history of the Church there have been two classes of Christians: Christians of words — those who say, ‘Lord, Lord, Lord’ — and Christians of action, in truth,” he said.
Pope Francis was commenting on the passage from the Gospel of Matthew on houses built on rock or sand at a morning Mass celebrated in Casa Santa Marta.
Those Christians who are all talk, he said, fall into two categories.
He defined one group as “gnostics” who, instead of loving the Rock that is Christ, “love pretty words” and follow a “liquid Christianity”.
These superficial “Christians of words” are “floating on the surface of the Christian life”, he said. “And this has happening and is happening today: being Christian without Christ.”
He defined the other group as “pelagians”, who “believe that the Christian life must be taken so seriously that they end up confusing solidity and firmness with rigidity. They are rigid! They think that being Christian means being in perpetual mourning.”
This group, he said, “stare at their feet” and do not know how to enjoy the life that Jesus gives us because they do not know how to talk to Jesus.
There are “so many” of these Christians, the Pope said, but “they are not Christians, they disguise themselves as Christians”.
“They do not know 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’.”
“They are the slaves of superficiality … 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. ”
Sources:
Image: Catholic Herald
Related Posts:
News category: World.
