{"id":13799,"date":"2016-04-15T22:35:00","date_gmt":"2016-04-15T22:35:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/pope-humiliations-can-open-the-heart-as-they-did-for-saint-paul-23259\/"},"modified":"2016-04-15T22:35:00","modified_gmt":"2016-04-15T22:35:00","slug":"pope-humiliations-can-open-the-heart-as-they-did-for-saint-paul","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2016\/04\/pope-humiliations-can-open-the-heart-as-they-did-for-saint-paul\/","title":{"rendered":"Pope: Humiliations can ‘open the heart’, as they did for Saint Paul"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

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Vatican City, Apr 15, 2016 \/ 04:35 pm (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Pope Francis on Friday encouraged Christians to embrace the humiliations that God allows in our lives to draw us closer to him and open our hearts, just as Saul did after he was knocked down on the road to Damascus.<\/p>\n

During Mass at the chapel of Santa Marta House in the Vatican on April 15, the Holy Father focused his homily on the day\u2019s first reading found in the Acts of the Apostles.<\/p>\n

The passage recounts the famous conversion story of St. Paul, as Saul became known, who was knocked down while traveling on the road to Damascus to hunt down more Christians to persecute.<\/p>\n

Although Saul was \u201ca strong, brave young man, zealous in his faith,\u201d he was one \u201cwith a closed heart\u201d who \u201cdid not want to hear about Jesus Christ\u201d and went so far as to seek out Christ\u2019s followers to persecute them, Pope Francis said.<\/p>\n

While on his way to find more Christians, \u201csuddenly a light from heaven flashed about him\u201d and Saul was thrown from his horse where, the Holy Father said, he \u201cunderstood the truth; he understood that he was not a man as God wanted, because he created us, all of us, to be on our feet, heads held high.\u201d<\/p>\n

Saul heard the voice of Christ addressing him asking, \u201cSaul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?\u201d Then Christ instructs him to \u201cget up and go.\u201d<\/p>\n

After his fall, Saul humbly allowed himself \u201cto be guided\u201d by another to Damascus because he had been blinded. It was this \u201chumiliation\u201d that became \u201cthe path to open the heart\u201d which allowed him to \u201cbe converted to the Lord Jesus,\u201d the Roman Pontiff said.<\/p>\n

He explained that \u201cwhen the Lord sends us humiliation or allows humiliation to come to us, it is precisely for this reason: so the heart may be opened, may be docile.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, Christ did not leave Saul on the ground, nor does he expect us to stay there when we are knocked down. In this account we see a lesson in conversion, the Holy Father said, explaining that with humbling experiences, \u201cthe Lord is able to change hearts and make a hard, stubborn heart become docile to the Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

After a fall we first must rise, because \u201ca Christian must be on his feet with his head held high.\u201d<\/p>\n

A Christian must also \u201clet yourself be led,\u201d just as Paul did when he \u201clet himself be led like a child; entrusted himself to the hands of another, whom he did not know,\u201d when he came to Ananias, the man who God chose to use to restore Saul\u2019s sight and baptize him.<\/p>\n

Even with all the different players in this account, the \u201cmain character\u201d in all this is the Holy Spirit, whom the Pope called the \u201cprotagonist of the Church who leads the People of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pope Francis concluded saying that this conversion story affects all of us since we all \u201chave hardness of heart,\u201d just as Saul did.<\/p>\n

\u201c(L)et us ask the Lord to make us see that this hardness knocks us to the ground; may he send us the grace and also \u2013 if necessary \u2013 humiliation so as not to remain down but rise, with the dignity with which God created us, which is the grace of a heart open and docile to the Holy Spirit.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Vatican City, Apr 15, 2016 \/ 04:35 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Friday encouraged Christians to embrace the humiliations that God allows in our lives to draw us closer to him and open our hearts, just as Saul did after he was knocked down on th…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1031,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13799","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\nPope: Humiliations can 'open the heart', as they did for Saint Paul<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Vatican City, Apr 15, 2016 \/ 04:35 pm (CNA\/EWTN News).- Pope Francis on Friday encouraged Christians to embrace the humiliations that God allows in our lives to draw us closer to him and open our hearts, just as Saul did after he was knocked down on th...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" 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