In his homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis spoke about the realities of God. The first is the reality of man choosing good or evil. Secondly God made Christ concretely in the flesh to save the world. Finally, people must convert and follow the will of God on the path of the Cross of Jesus.
POPE FRANCIS
'The reality of the journey is that of Christ: following Christ, doing the will of the Father, as He did, taking up the daily crosses and denying oneself in order to follow Christ. Not doing what I want, but what Jesus wants; following Jesus.â?
The pope continued saying that when following Christ one might 'lose their life,â? by not following the whims of the world and being at the service of others, but they will surely gain it back later.
EXCERPTS OF PAPAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'The reality of God is God made Christ, for us. To save us. When we distance ourselves from this, from this reality, and we distance ourselves from the Cross of Christ, from the truth of the wounds of the Lord, we distance ourselves also from love, from the charity of God, from salvation and going along an ideological street from God, far away: [This] is not God who came to us and made Himself close to us to save us, and died for us. This [God made Christ for us, to save us] is the reality of God.â?
'The agnostic of good will asked the believer, â??But how can Iâ?¦ for me, the problem is how Christ is God: I canâ??t understand this. How is Christ God?â?? And the believer responded, â??Eh, for me this is not a problem. The problem would be if God would not have been made Christ.â?? This is the reality of God: God made Christ, God made flesh; and this is the foundation of the works of mercy. The wounds of our brothers are the wounds of Christ, they are the wounds of God, because God is made Christ. The second reality. We cannot live Lent without this reality. We must convert, not to an abstract God, but to the concrete God who is made Christ.â?
'The reality of the journey is that of Christ: following Christ, doing the will of the Father, as He did, taking up the daily crosses and denying oneself in order to follow Christ. Not doing what I want, but what Jesus wants; following Jesus. And He says that on this street we lose our life, in order to gain it back later; it is a continual loss of life, loss of doing what I want, loss of comforts, being always on the path of Jesus who was at the service of others, [who was] was in adoration of God. That is the right path.â?
