In his homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis explained that many saints endured lawmakers who believe that life is governed only by the laws that they establish.
POPE FRANCIS
'This has also happened in the history of the Church! Think of poor Joan of Arc: today she is a Saint! She was burnt at the stake because she was considered a hereticâ?¦ the inquisitors, those who followed the rules, those Pharisees: they were far from the love of God. And closer in time to us think of the Blessed Antonio Rosmini: all of his writings were placed upon the Index. You could not read them; it was considered a sin to read them. Today he is a Blessed. In the History of God with his people the Lord sent forth the prophets to tell His people that He loved them. In the Church, the Lord sends forth the Saints. And it is the Saints who carry forward the life of the Church, not the powerful, not the hypocrites: the Saints.â?
The Pope also asked Christians to consider if they carry out God's will or their own. He said those who only follow their own desires harden their hearts and do not let God in.
POPE FRANCIS' COMPLETE HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'This is the History of God. Itâ??s as if God were weeping. And when Jesus looked at Jerusalem he too wept. Because in Jesusâ?? heart was this history where faithfulness had disappeared.
'We follow our will, but doing so our heart hardens and becomes of stone. And the Word of the Lord cannot penetrate. Thus the people get more and more distant. This is also the risk in our personal histories. Now, on this day of lent, we must ask ourselves: â??Do I listen to the voice of the Lord or do I do what I please?â??
'This has also happened in the history of the Church! Think of poor Joan of Arc: today she is a Saint! She was burnt at the stake because she was considered a hereticâ?¦ the inquisitors, those who followed the rules, those Pharisees: they were far from the love of God. And closer in time to us think of the Blessed Antonio Rosmini: all of his writings were placed upon the Index. You could not read them; it was considered a sin to read them. Today he is a Blessed.
'In the History of God with his people the Lord sent forth the prophets to tell His people that He loved them. In the Church, the Lord sends forth the Saints. And it is the Saints who carry forward the life of the Church, not the powerful, not the hypocrites: the Saints.
'Jesus says: â??Whoever is not with me is against meâ??. And there is no compromising. You are either on the path of love or on the path of hypocrisy. You either let yourself be loved by Godâ??s mercy, or you do as you please according to your own heart that hardens days by day along this path. Whoever is not with me is against me: there is no third choice to be made. Either you are a saint or you take the other route. Whoever is not receptive loses outâ?¦ No, it is worse: he wastes and wrecks. He is corrupt and he corrupts.â?
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