During his Monday morning homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reflected on the feeling of contempt.
He recalled the Gospel and spoke of the disdain the inhabitants of Nazareth felt towards Jesus, their fellow countryman. They could not appreciate the simple means by which this healing would be accomplished.
POPE FRANCIS
'Why this disdain? In our imagination salvation must come from something great, from something majestic: only the powerful can save us, those who have strength, who have money, who have power, these people can save us. Godâ??s plan is different. They feel disdain because they cannot understand that salvation comes only from little things, from the simplicity of the things of God.â?
Lastly, Pope Francis recalled that salvation should come from something simple not something grand or opulent.
EXTRACTS FROM THE POPE'S HOMILY
(Source : Vatican Radio)
'When Jesus proposed the way of salvation,â? the Pope continued, 'He never spoke of great things,â? but about 'little things.â? These are 'the two pillars of the Gospel,â? that we read about in Matthew: the Beatitudes, and in chapter 25, the final Judgment, where Jesus says, 'Come, come with me because you have done these things, simple things.â?
'You did not seek salvation or your hope in power, in political parties, in negotiations. No! You have simply done these things. And so many people look down on this! As a preparation for Easter, I invite you â?? Iâ??ll do it too â?? to read the Beatitudes and to read Matthew 25, and to think and to see if there is something I look down on, if something disturbs my peace. Because contempt is a luxury that only the vain and the proud allow themselves. We should see if, at the end of the Beatitudes, Jesus says somethingâ? that makes us ask why He said that. 'â??Blessed is he who is not scandalized in me,â?? who does not look down on these things, who does not feel contempt.â?
'It would do us good to take some time â?? today, tomorrow â?? to read the Beatitudes, to read Matthew 25, and to pay attention to what happens in our heart: if there is some feeling of contempt. And seek grace from the Lord to understand the only path of salvation is â??the folly of the Cross,â?? that is, the Son of God â??emptying Himself,â?? making Himself small, represented here [in the Readings] in the cleansing in the Jordan, or in the small village of Nazareth.â?
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