Pope Francis warns faithful not to be 'rosewater Christians'

Rome, Italy, Oct 24, 2013 / 08:40 am (CNA/EWTN News).- In his daily homily, Pope Francis focused on the fact that we have been “re-created” in Christ, urging those in attendance to take their faith seriously, rather than committing halfway.

“People do not take it seriously! Lukewarm Christians: ‘But, yes, yes, but, no, no.’ Neither here nor there - as our mothers said, ‘rosewater Christians’ - no!”

The Holy Father offered his reflections to those present for his Oct. 24 daily Mass in the Saint Martha guesthouse of the Vatican.

“We have been re-made in Christ,” urged the Pope at the beginning of his homily, “What Christ has done in us is a re-creation: the blood of Christ has re-created.”

“If before the whole of our life: our body, our soul, our habits, were on the road of sin, iniquity; after this re-creation we must make the effort to walk on the path of righteousness, sanctification… holiness.”

Pope Francis then reflected on how our parents made an act of faith for us at the moment of our Baptism, stressing that it is our responsibility to make this faith our own, and that to live as Christians “is to bring forth this faith in Christ.”

Emphasizing the fact that we are often weak and that we commit sins through our imperfections, the Pope urged that this is a path to sanctification if we do not “get used” to living in that state.

He cautioned that if a person has the attitude that “’I believe in Jesus Christ, but I live the way I want to’ Oh, no, that will not sanctify, that is wrong! It is a contradiction!”

“If, however, you say, ‘I, even I am a sinner, I am weak,’ and if you go always to the Lord and say: ‘But, Lord, You have the strength, give me faith! You can make me clean,’ (and if) you let yourself be healed in the Sacrament of Reconciliation – yes, even our imperfections are used along the way of sanctification.”

Christians, urged the pontiff, have been created “anew” by the Blood of Christ, and are on the path of righteousness, but “we must take it seriously!”

In order to take the faith seriously, the Pope stated that we must carry out “simple” works of righteousness, noting that the first act should always be to “worship God.”

“God is always first! And then do what Jesus advises us to help others.”

Noting that there are some Christians who live their faith at “half-speed” Pope Francis emphasized to those present that “We are holy, justified, sanctified by the blood of Christ: Take this sanctification and carry it forward!”

For those who have the attitude of “a little touch here and there, of Christian paint, a little ‘paint catechesis,’” he stressed that “inside there is no true conversion.”

“There is no such conviction as that of St. Paul: ‘Everything I gave up and I consider garbage, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him.’”

This, he stated, “was Paul's passion and that is the passion of a Christian,” urging that we must detach ourselves from everything that distracts us or takes us away from Jesus.

“You can do it!” encouraged the Pope, “as did St. Paul and also many Christians.”

The pontiff concluded his reflections by urging that the question posed for us today is whether or not we want to “live our Christianity seriously, if we want to pursue this re-creation.”

He invited all those in attendance to ask for the intercession of Saint Paul, that we may obtain the gift of grace needed in order to live our Christian faith seriously, and “to believe that we truly have been sanctified by the blood of Jesus Christ.”

Pope: Sacrament of Confession is not a 'torture chamber'

Vatican City, Oct 25, 2013 / 08:39 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During his daily Mass Pope Francis centered his homily on the Sacrament of Reconciliation, stressing that sin is an everyday struggle which requires accountability through “face-to-face” contact.

“Confessing our sins is not going to a psychiatrist, or to a torture chamber: it’s saying to the Lord, 'Lord, I am a sinner,' but saying it through the brother, because this says it concretely. 'I am sinner because of this, that and the other thing.'”

The Pope offered his Oct. 25 reflections to those gathered in the chapel of the Vatican's Saint Martha’s guesthouse, where he has chosen to reside.

Pope Francis opened his homily by reflecting that for many believing adults, the idea of confessing one's sins to a priest is either so unbearable that they completely avoid the Sacrament, or the process is so painful that the truth is transformed into a form of fiction.

Recalling St. Paul’s words in his letter to the Roman’s from the day’s readings, the Pope noted that the apostle did the opposite, confessing publicly that “good does not dwell in me, that is, in my flesh,” and that he doesn’t do the good that he wants, but only the evil which he hates.

The Pope stressed that it often happens in the life of faith that “when I want to do good, evil is close to me.”

“This is the struggle of Christians. It is our struggle every day. And we do not always have the courage to speak as Paul spoke about this struggle.”

Often, noted the pontiff, we seek to justify our sins by making excuses and saying that “we are all sinners,” and that this fight “is our struggle.”

“If we don’t recognize this, we will never be able to have God’s forgiveness,” urged the Pope, “because if being a sinner is a word, a way of speaking, a manner of speaking, we have no need of God’s forgiveness. But if it is a reality that makes us slaves, we need this interior liberation of the Lord, of that force.”

Pope Francis then emphasized that the most important element for Saint Paul in finding a way out of this justification was to confess his sin to the community, noting that “he doesn’t hide it,” and that the confession of one’s sins with humility is something which the Church requires of us all.

“Confess your sins to one another,” he said, repeating the words of Saint James, not to be noticed by others, but rather “to give glory to God” and to recognize that it is only him who can save.

This is why, stressed the Pope, we go to a “brother priest,” to confess, urging that when one confesses, it must be done with “concreteness.”

“Some say: ‘Ah, I confess to God.’ But it’s easy, it’s like confessing by email, no? God is far away, I say things and there’s no face-to-face, no eye-to-eye contact,” while “others (say)‘No, I go to confession,’ but they confess so many ethereal things, so many up-in-the-air things, that they don’t have anything concrete. And that’s the same as not doing it.”

Concreteness, honesty, and the genuine ability to be ashamed one’s mistakes are all qualities needed in order to be open to the forgiveness of God, as well as the deep awareness of his love, the Pope noted.

Concluding his reflections, Pope Francis stressed that in the face of confession, we should have the attitude of a small child, because “when a child comes to confess, he never says something general.”

“‘But father, I did this and I did that to my aunt, another time I said this word’ and they say the word. But they are concrete, eh? They have that simplicity of the truth.”

Although “we always have the tendency to hide the reality of our failings,” the Pope noted that “there is something beautiful: when we confess our sins as they are in the presence of God, we always feel that grace of shame.”

“Being ashamed in the sight of God is a grace. It is a grace: ‘I am ashamed of myself.’”

When we think of this kind of shame, the Pope stressed, “We think of Peter when, after the miracle of Jesus on the lake, (he said) ‘Depart from me, Lord, for I am a sinner.’”

Christ preaches Gospel through you, Pope tells new bishops

Vatican City, Oct 26, 2013 / 07:30 am (CNA/EWTN News).- At a Mass on Thursday at Saint Peter's Basilica, Pope Francis consecrated two men as bishops and exhorted them to be faithful to Christ, for he reaches men through their ministry.

“Christ, in fact, is who through the ministry of the bishop continues to preach the Gospel of salvation and sanctifies believers, through the sacraments of the faith,” the Bishop of Rome preached in his homily at the Oct. 24 Mass during which he consecrated Archbishop Jean-Marie Speich and Archbishop Giampiero Gloder.

The two have both been appointed to serve in the Vatican's diplomatic corps. Archbishop Speich, who was a priest of the Strasbourg archdiocese, has been appointed apostolic nuncio to Ghana; and Archbishop Gloder, who was a priest of the Padua diocese, is president of the Pontifical Ecclesiastical Academy, which trains priests for the diplomatic corps.

“Reflect attentively on what great ecclesial responsibilities these, our brothers, are called to,” Pope Francis said, reflecting on their place in the apostolic succession instituted by Christ for the sanctification of mankind.

“So as to perpetuate from generation to generation this apostolic ministry, the

Twelve gathered collaborators, passing on to them by the laying on of hands the gift of the Spirit received from Christ, who conferred the fullness of the sacrament of Orders.”

He noted that “thus, through the unbroken succession of bishops in the living tradition of the Church … the Savior's work continues and develops up to our time. In the bishop surrounded by his priests there is present among you the same our Lord Jesus Christ, high priest forever.”

Pope Francis said that Christ “in the fatherhood of the bishop adds new members to his body, which is the Church. And Christ in the wisdom and prudence of the bishop guides the people of God through he earthly pilgrimage to eternal happiness.”

“As for you, Jean-Marie and Giampiero, chosen by the Lord, reflect that you have been chosen from among men and for men, you have have been appointed for those things regarding God.”

The office of bishop, he advised them, “is in fact the name of a service, not of an honor,” and that bishops are called to “compete” in serving – rather than “lording it over” – their flocks.

“Always in service, always,” the Pontiff said.

Pope Francis exhorted them to “proclaim the Word in every opportunity: in season and out of season. Admonish, reprove, exhort with all magnanimity and teaching.”

Focusing on the grave importance of prayer, he went on to tell the newly consecrated that in this way, they will be able to “draw from the holiness of Christ the multiform richness of divine grace.”

“A bishop who does not pray is a bishop half-way. And if you do not pray to the Lord, you end up worldly.”

Following his discussion on prayer, the Roman Pontiff turned to the necessity of love.

“The love of a bishop: love, love with the love of a father and of a brother all whom God has entrusted to you. In the first place, love the priests and the deacons.”

He exhorted them to be attentive to their priests, not waiting to see them when the priests ask to see them: “respond immediately,” he exclaimed. “Be close to them.”

“But also love the poor, the helpless and those who need welcome and assistance. Exhort the faithful to cooperate” with you.

Pope Francis also advised the bishops to have care for those who are not Catholic or Christian, “because they too have been entrusted to you in the Lord. Pray much for them.”

He also noted the importance of collaboration among bishops, telling them to remember that “you need to bring with you a solicitude for all the Churches, aiding generously those who are most in need of assistance.”

“Keep watch in the name of the Father, who makes present the image; in the name of Jesus Christ, his Son, by whom he made you teachers, priests and pastors. In the name of the Holy Spirit who gives life to the Church and by his power sustains us in our weakness,” he concluded.