During his homily in Casa Santa Marta, the pope said that Christians cannot live hidden in uncertainties.
POPE FRANCIS
When we enter this tepidness, this attitude of lukewarm spirituality, our lives transform into a graveyard: there is no life. There is only darkness for these people, light doesn't get in. Christians say, 'yes, yes, we are in the ruins but we don't want to risk getting out: it's better to stay here in the darkness. We're already used to living like this.'
Pope Francis said that Christians can't be content with this false spiritual peace and recommended asking for the grace to not fall into this “half-Christian” spirit.
HOMILY TEXT IN ENGLISH
Source: Vatican News
The pope reflected on the Book of Haigai, urging people to change their behavior by working to rebuild the House of God.
Pope Francis explained that the prophet Haggai was trying to move the hearts of lazy people living in defeat. The Temple had been destroyed, everything was in ruin, but people sat for years without making changes.
The pope said, “The Lord sent the prophet to 'rebuild the Temple,' but the hearts of people were bitter and they had no wish to take risks and work.”
Those people had no desire to begin working again. They claimed the time had not come yet, so they would not let the Lord help them.
Pope Francis continued to say this is similar to Christians today who say, “Yes, yes, Lord, it's fine...but slowly, slowly, Lord, let's leave it like this...I'll do it tomorrow!”
Lukewarm faith leads to excuses and uncertainty. The pope said it causes people to waste their life and end in tatters, because they have done nothing but nurture themselves. That is the “peace of graveyards.”
The pope warned Christians that the Lord desires conversion, today. We must not allow ourselves to transform our lives into graveyards, for those places have no life.
Pope Francis said to ask the Lord for grace to not fall into half-Christian spirits, which would make us Christians without substance. He finished by asking the Lord to help us to “wake-up from a tepid spirit.”
