During his Tuesday morning homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis said that God focuses on the truth, not simply appearances. He encouraged all Christians to follow the path to sainthood.
POPE FRANCIS
'We have all been chosen by the Lord to be Baptized, to be part of His people, to be saints; we have been consecrated by the Lord on the path toward sainthood.â?
The Pope added that everyone is called to make this Christian journey, and that no saint is without a past, and no sinner is without a future.
EXCERPTS OF THE POPE'S HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'We are often the slaves of appearances and allow ourselves to pursue appearances: â??But God knows the truth.â?? And that is so in this story... Jesseâ??s seven sons are presented and the Lord does not choose any of them, he lets them pass by. Samuel is in a bit of difficulty and says to Jesse: â??The Lord has not chosen any of them, are these all the sons you have? And Jesse replied that there was still the youngest, who is tending the sheep.â?? To the eyes of man this boy did not count.â?
'A saint and a sinner. A man who managed to unite the Kingdom, he was able to lead the people of Israel. But he fell into temptation ... he committed sins: he was also a murderer. To cover up his lust, the sin of adulteryâ?¦ he commissioned a murder. He did! Did saint King David commit murder? When God sent the prophet Nathan to point this reality out to him, because he was not aware of the barbarity he had ordered, he acknowledged his sin and asked for forgiveness.â?
'We have all been chosen by the Lord to be Baptized, to be part of His people, to be saints; we have been consecrated by the Lord on the path toward sainthood. Reading about this life, the life of a child â?? noâ?¦ not a child, he was a boy â?? from boyhood to old age, during which he did many good things and others that were not so good. It makes me think that during the Christian journey, the journey the Lord has invited us to undertake, there is no saint without a past and no sinner without a future.â?
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