Christian faith is concrete, pope says at Mass

895 0
Pope Francis celebrates Mass Jan. 7 in the chapel of his residence, the Domus Sanctae Marthae. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The saints were Christians who were “crazy for concreteness,” knowing that faith is not an idea, but a relationship with Jesus, which leads to actions that demonstrate love, Pope Francis said.

Celebrating morning Mass Jan. 7 in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae, the pope said the celebration of Christmas is the celebration of a faith that is concrete.

Christians profess their belief that “the son of God came in the flesh, became one of us,” he said. “He was conceived in the womb of Mary, born in Bethlehem, grew like a baby does, fled to Egypt, returned to Nazareth, learned to read with his father, to work” — although God, he was also truly human.

The first reading at Mass was a passage from the First Letter of John, which says Christians are commanded to believe in the name of Jesus and love one another, with “concrete love, not a fantasy love,” the pope said.

“Concreteness. This is the challenge,” he said. “Not ideas and beautiful words.”

The first reading at Mass also included John’s admonition: “Do not trust every spirit but test the spirits to see whether they belong to God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”

“The Christian life,” the pope said, “is fundamentally the concreteness of faith in Jesus Christ and in charity, but it is also ‘spiritual vigilance'” because there always will be “false prophets who propose a ‘soft’ Christ without flesh and a love for one’s neighbors that is a bit relative.”

One way to grow in the art of spiritual vigilance, he said, is to “take two, three, five minutes” at the end of each day to ask where God was at work and what God seems to be speaking to one’s heart.

The next step, he said, is to test that inspiration or inclination by consulting Scripture and a wise spiritual guide; “it’s not necessary to go to the pope or a bishop to see if what you felt is good, because there are many people — priests, religious, laity — who have this ability to help us see what is happening in our spirit so we do not err.”

Remember, the pope said at the end of his homily, Jesus became a concrete human being, “born of a concrete woman, he lived a concrete life, his death was a concrete death, and he asks us to love our brothers and sisters concretely, even if some of them are not easy to love.”

Related Post

Jesuit Father James Martin, a popular author and editor at large of America magazine, greets attendees at a book signing following an Aug. 23 presentation at the World Meeting of Families in Dublin Aug. 23. During his talk, Father Martin outlined several specific ways in which the church can minister to and with members of the LGBT community. (CNS photo/Gina Christian)

U.S. Jesuit urges Catholics to examine attitudes toward LGBT community

Posted by - September 1, 2018 0
DUBLIN (CNS) — U.S. Jesuit Father James Martin set out a series of ways in which parishes can show welcome…
Sister Marie Dominic, right, professes her first vows as a cloistered nun May 28 at Corpus Christi Monastery in Menlo Park, Calif. Sister Marie Dominic was an attorney and an evangelical Christian in Anchorage, Alaska, who joined the Catholic Church during her last months of law school. (CNS photo/courtesy Sister Marie Dominic)

Former attorney professes first vows as cloistered Dominican nun

Posted by - June 17, 2017 0
MENLO PARK, Calif. (CNS) — Tara Clemens was an Anchorage, Alaska, attorney, and an evangelical Christian who joined the Catholic…
Pope Francis and prelates from around the world attend a penitential liturgy during a meeting on the protection of minors in the church at the Vatican in this Feb. 23, 2019, file photo. In a decision published Dec. 17 the pope abolished the obligation of secrecy for abuse victims during Vatican trials and processes. (CNS photo/Evandro Inetti, pool)

Pope lifts secrecy obligation for those who report having been abused

Posted by - December 20, 2019 0
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis has abolished the obligation of secrecy for those who report having been sexually abused…