At Angelus Address, Warns of Fashioning an Image of God in Our Own ‘Image and Likeness’
God is ever patient with us, awaiting our conversion up to the last moment, says Pope Francis, but our conversion is urgent and must get started today.
The Pope said this today before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Drawing from the Gospel of today’s Mass, in which Jesus corrects the idea that God punishes sin with tragedies, the Holy Father said that we have to examine our idea of God and our own presumptions about ourselves.
“Today too, seeing certain disgraces and sorrowful happenings, we can have the temptation to ‘unload’ the responsibility on the victims, or even on God himself. But the Gospel invites us to reflect: What idea of God do we have? Are we truly convinced that God is like that, or isn’t that just our projection, a God made to ‘our image and likeness?’” he said.
In contrast, Jesus invites us to definitively break with sin and convert, avoiding the temptation to think ourselves already holy.
“Unfortunately, each of us very much resembles the tree that, over many years, has repeatedly shown that it’s sterile. But, fortunately for us, Jesus is like a farmer who, with limitless patience, still obtains a concession for the fruitless vine. ‘Sir, leave it for this year also … it may bear fruit in the future.’”
The Pontiff asked if we’ve thought about the “patience of God? Have you thought as well of his limitless concern for sinners? How it should lead us to impatience with ourselves! It’s never too late to convert. Never. Until the last moment, God’s patience awaits us.”
“He saves us because he has great patience with us,” Francis said. “And this is his mercy. It’s never too late to convert, but it’s urgent. It’s now! Let us begin today.”
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-text-its-never-too-late-to-convert/
The Pope said this today before praying the midday Angelus with those gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
Drawing from the Gospel of today’s Mass, in which Jesus corrects the idea that God punishes sin with tragedies, the Holy Father said that we have to examine our idea of God and our own presumptions about ourselves.
“Today too, seeing certain disgraces and sorrowful happenings, we can have the temptation to ‘unload’ the responsibility on the victims, or even on God himself. But the Gospel invites us to reflect: What idea of God do we have? Are we truly convinced that God is like that, or isn’t that just our projection, a God made to ‘our image and likeness?’” he said.
In contrast, Jesus invites us to definitively break with sin and convert, avoiding the temptation to think ourselves already holy.
“Unfortunately, each of us very much resembles the tree that, over many years, has repeatedly shown that it’s sterile. But, fortunately for us, Jesus is like a farmer who, with limitless patience, still obtains a concession for the fruitless vine. ‘Sir, leave it for this year also … it may bear fruit in the future.’”
The Pontiff asked if we’ve thought about the “patience of God? Have you thought as well of his limitless concern for sinners? How it should lead us to impatience with ourselves! It’s never too late to convert. Never. Until the last moment, God’s patience awaits us.”
“He saves us because he has great patience with us,” Francis said. “And this is his mercy. It’s never too late to convert, but it’s urgent. It’s now! Let us begin today.”
On ZENIT’s Web page:
Full text: https://zenit.org/articles/angelus-text-its-never-too-late-to-convert/
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