During his homily on Tuesday in Casa Santa Marta, the Pope recalled that the correct path of Christian life is reflected through Jesus, but you have to constantly check if you are following his path.
Pope Francis said that a Christian who stays still and does not do works of mercy is a Christian who is â??paganizedâ?? and not a true Christian.
POPE FRANCIS
'They are motionless. Excuse me for saying it, but they are like an embalmed mummy, a spiritual mummy there. There are Christians who are â??spiritual mummies,â?? motionless, there. They donâ??t do evil but they donâ??t do good things.â?
The Pope distinguished several types of erratic Christians: mummies, vagabonds, headstrong, stubborn or halfway Christians, but asked to stand five minutes to think about 'putting into practice the beatitudes and Works of mercyâ? in our daily life.
EXCERPTS FROM PAPAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'Christians who stay still, who don't go forward, are non-Christian Christians. We donâ??t know exactly what they are. They are slightly â??paganizedâ?? Christians: who are there, who stay still and donâ??t go forward in their Christian lives, who donâ??t make the Beatitudes bloom in their lives, who donâ??t do Works of mercyâ?¦ they are motionless. Excuse me for saying it, but they are like an (embalmed) mummy, a spiritual mummy there. There are Christians who are â??spiritual mummies,â?? motionless, there. They donâ??t do evil but they donâ??t do good things.â?
'They are wanderers in the Christian life, vagabonds. During their life they turn here and there and thus lose the beauty of drawing close to Jesus in the Jesusâ?? life. They lose their way because they are constantly turning and often this turning is wrong and takes them to a dead end. Turning so many times, (the road) becomes a labyrinth and then they donâ??t know how to get out. They have lost that call from Jesus. They don't have a compass to get out and they keep on turning and searching. There are other Christians who whilst journeying are seduced by the beauty of an object and they stop half way, fascinated by what they see, by some idea, a proposal or a landscape. And they stop! Christian life is not a fascination: itâ??s the truth! Itâ??s Jesus Christ!â?
'We remain here today with that question: letâ??s do it for just five minutesâ?¦ How am I doing on this Christian journey? Am I standing still, making mistakes, turning here and there, stopping in front of the things that I like, or (am I following) Jesus 'I who am the Way.â??? And let us implore the Holy Spirit to teach us to journey along the right road, always! And when we get tired, a little rest and then we go forward again. Let us ask for this grace.â?
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