During his Mass at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis explained why people followed Jesus. He said that Christ would come close to His people and spoke to their hearts.
POPE FRANCIS
'And this is why the people followed Jesus, because He was the Good Shepherd. He wasnâ??t a moralistic, quibbling Pharisee, or a Sadducee who made political deals with the powerful, or a guerrilla who sought the political liberation of his people, or a contemplative in a monastery. He was a pastor! A pastor who spoke the language of His people, Who understood, Who spoke the truth, the things of God: He never trafficked in the things of God! But He spoke in such a way that the people loved the things of God.â?
Pope Francis added that we must pause to think on who we are following and 'to ask God to bring us closer to Jesus.â?
EXTRACT OF THE POPE'S HOMILY
Source: Vatican Radio
'For example, â??You have to obey the fourth commandment!â?? â??Yes, yes, yes!â?? â??You have to feed your elderly father, your elderly mother!â?? â??Yes, yes, yes!â?? â??But as you know, I canâ??t because I gave my money to the temple!â??; â??You donâ??t do that? And your parents starve to death!â?? So: contradictions of the cruelest kind of moralistic quibbling. The people respect them [the Pharisees], because the people are respectful. They respected them, but they didnâ??t listen to them! They went about their business.â?
'And this is why the people followed Jesus, because He was the Good Shepherd. He wasnâ??t a moralistic, quibbling Pharisee, or a Sadducee who made political deals with the powerful, or a guerrilla who sought the political liberation of his people, or a contemplative in a monastery. He was a pastor! A pastor who spoke the language of His people, Who understood, Who spoke the truth, the things of God: He never negotiated with the things of God! But He spoke in such a way that the people loved the things of God. Thatâ??s why they followed Him.â?
'Whom do I like to follow? Those who talk to me about abstract things or quibbling morals? Those who talk about the people of God but have no faith and negotiate with political, economic powers? Those who always want to do strange things, destructive things, so-called wars of liberation, but which in the end are not the paths of the Lord? Or a faraway contemplative? Whom do I like to follow?â?
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