CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- In his homily on Tuesday, Pope Francis lamented the many Christians who close the door to God\u2019s grace out of spiritual laziness, urging them to instead receive healing from the Lord so they can spread the Gospel.<\/p>\n\t\u201cThis is the disease of sloth, the acedia of Christians. This attitude that is crippling the apostolic zeal, which makes Christian people stand still and at ease,\u201d the Pope exclaimed in his April 1 Mass.<\/p>\n
\tAddressing those gathered in the chapel of the Vatican\u2019s Saint Martha guesthouse, the pontiff centered his reflections on the day\u2019s Gospel, taken from John, in which Jesus heals a paralytic on the Sabbath and is later persecuted for it.<\/p>\n
\tUsing the figures in the reading as a launching point, the Pope drew attention to both the infirmity of the sick man whom Jesus healed, as well as the spiritual illness of the Pharisees who plotted against him because of the act.<\/p>\n
\t\u201cI think of many Christians, of many Catholics,\" in these figures, the Pope said, noting that \u201cyes, they are Catholics, but without enthusiasm \u2014 even embittered.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tObserving how some might say \u201cI go to Mass every Sunday, but better not get mixed up in things \u2013 I have faith for my health, I do not feel the need to give it to another\u2026\u2019\u201d the pontiff noted that to stay in one\u2019s own house living a \u201cquiet life\u201d and not risking anything is \u201cthe disease of sloth, the acedia of Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tThis \u201cstanding at ease\u201d is \u201cnot in the good sense of the word,\u201d he explained, adding that \u201cthey do not bother to go out to proclaim the Gospel! They are anesthetized.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAnesthesia, the Pope went on to say, \u201cis a negative experience,\u201d adding that those Christians who suffer from this spiritual sloth \u201care sad\u201d because \u201cthey are people without light \u2013 real downers, and this is a disease of us Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tEmphasizing that those who have this attitude \u201care not useful\u201d and \u201cdo not do the Church well,\u201d the Roman Pontiff questioned \u201chow many Christians are like this? Selfish, out for themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tReturning to the Gospel passage, Pope Francis underlined another type of sin seen in those who criticized Jesus, referring to it as the sin of formalism, and stating that \u201cChristians who do not leave space for the grace of God \u2013 and the Christian life, the life of these people, consists in having all the paperwork, all the certificates, in order.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cChristian hypocrites, like these, only interested in their formalities,\u201d he repeated, adding \u201cIt was a Sabbath? No, you cannot do miracles on the Sabbath, the grace of God cannot work on Sabbath days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tPeople with this attitude \u201cclose the door to the grace of God,\u201d the Pope continued, emphasizing that \u201cwe have so many in the Church, we have many! It is another sin.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe first, those who have the sin of sloth, are not able to go forward with their apostolic zeal, because they have decided to stand firm in themselves, in their sorrows, their resentments, in all of that. Such as these are not capable of bringing salvation, because they close the door to salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tHighlighting how \u201cwe ourselves have often been taken by this acedia, or have been many times like the Pharisees: hypocrites,\u201d the Roman Pontiff explained that because these temptations inevitably come our way, \"we must learn to defend ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tIn the face of these temptations, before \u201cthat field hospital there, which was a symbol of the Church\u201d and in front of \u201ca lot of hurting people,\u201d Jesus approaches the man and asks only one thing, the pontiff recalled: \u201cDo you want to be healed?\u201d<\/p>\n
\tAfterwards, \u201cgrace accomplishes everything,\u201d the Pope observed, noting that when Jesus meets him later in the temple, he tells the man to \u201csin no more.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cThe two Christian words: do you want to be healed? Sin no more. First he heals, then (he says), \u2018sin no more,\u2019\u201d reflected the pontiff, highlighting how these words are \u201cspoken with tenderness, with love.\u201d<\/p>\n
\tConcluding his homily, Pope Francis affirmed that \u201cthis is the Christian way, the way of apostolic zeal: to get close to many people who are injured and in this field hospital, often people whose wounds were inflicted by men and women of the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cIt is a word of a brother and of a sister: do you want to be healed?\u201d he asked, noting how when the man goes forward, Jesus tells him \u201c\u2018Ah, do not sin any more, it is not good for you.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\t\u201cMuch better: Jesus\u2019 two words are more beautiful than the attitude of sloth or the attitude of hypocrisy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n
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Vatican City, Apr 1, 2014 \/ 08:05 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- In his homily on Tuesday, Pope Francis lamented the many Christians who close the door to God’s grace out of spiritual laziness, urging them to instead receive healing from the Lord so they c…<\/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-5925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-vatican"],"yoast_head":"\n
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