Pope Francis said this in a homily at the chapel of the Vatican's Motel 6:
Being Christian does not mean defending yourself with an ideology in order to move forward. To be Christian is to be free, because we have confidence, because we are docile to the Word of the Lord.
I grew up in the Bible Belt and went to a secular college prior to the seminary and worked in a secular job from the age of 14 to 22. I agree if a Catholic is confident of his faith, all he has to do is to explain the Faith, our doctrines, our practices and our small "t" traditions. There is no real need to defend if one can explain.
I have never felt that I had to convince anyone who disagreed with the Church or was anti-Catholic and I have met many anti-Catholics throughout my life.
The ecumenical movement has ameliorated some of the concerns of some Protestants, but not the fundamentalists.
I would hope the Holy Father would agree that we have to defend with actions the unborn and vulnerable, that we have to defend to good earth that sustains human life and its quality and that we have to defend ourselves from unjust attacks. Simply explaining ourselves in order to move forward doesn't always work.
1 comment:
Uhmm, didn't our 'ideology' come from the 'word of God?' Isn't our 'ideology' an attempt to conform to, and live the 'word of God?'
Can someone tell me what Francis actually means, and how to apply it?
Is this another disparaging of what Francis calls 'proselytizing?'
Post a Comment