People Need to Be Touched By the Lord

We must open doors, Pope Francis implored at Mass this morning.

He said that “the people God are always asking for something closer to Jesus, they are sometimes a bit insistent in this. But it is the insistence of those who believe.”

Those who truly love and long for Him can keep us honest if/when we become routinized about out faith, and lukewarm.

And he was specific, according to the Vatican Radio translation:

“Think of the good Christians, with good will, we think about the parish secretary, a secretary of the parish … ‘Good evening, good morning, the two of us — boyfriend and girlfriend — we want to get married’. And instead of saying, ‘That’s great!’. They say, ‘Oh, well, have a seat. If you want the Mass, it costs a lot … ‘. This, instead of receiving a good welcome — ‘It is a good thing to get married!’ — But instead they get this response: ‘Do you have the certificate of baptism, all right … ‘. And they find a closed door. When this Christian and that Christian has the ability to open a door, thanking God for this fact of a new marriage … We are many times controllers of faith, instead of becoming facilitators of the faith of the people. ”

And, he said:

“Think about a single mother who goes to church, in the parish and to the secretary she says: ‘I want my child baptized’. And then this Christian, this Christian says: ‘No, you cannot because you’re not married!’. But look, this girl who had the courage to carry her pregnancy and not to return her son to the sender, what is it? A closed door! This is not zeal! It is far from the Lord! It does not open doors! And so when we are on this street, have this attitude, we do not do good to people, the people, the People of God, but Jesus instituted the seven sacraments with this attitude and we are establishing the eighth: the sacrament of pastoral customs! “.

“We ask the Lord that all those who come to the Church find the doors open, find the doors open, open to meet this love of Jesus. We ask this grace,” he prayed.

“We are many times controllers of faith, instead of becoming facilitators of the faith,” he reflected — and admonished.

We must let the Trinity take possession of us, rather than try to take possession of the Trinity! We are made in God’s image. Let’s not waste time and let that Christ’s love be reflected with a radiance in our lives.