Pope Francis: "Christians Who Think Like Lawyers Destroy What The Holy Spirit Does In Hearts"

Excerpt: “Christians who think like doctors of the law destroy what the Holy Spirit does in people’s hearts”

“God opens the doors of the Church, we cannot go and close them!"

Pope Francis said this at this morning’s mass in St. Martha’s House, adding: “Christians who think like doctors of the law destroy what the Holy Spirit does in people’s hearts”

DOMENICO AGASSO JR
ROME

“You can’t, no, you can’t. You made a mistake here and you can’t. If you want to come, come to Sunday mass but stay there and don’t do anything.” “Christians who think like doctors of the law destroy what the Holy Spirit does in people’s hearts.” Pope Francis spoke out against situations like this in his morning homily in St. Martha’s House. The appeal the Pope sent out at today’s mass was for people to show mercy and not close the doors opened by God.

The doors of the Church cannot be closed because the Church is the Lord’s house of mercy which welcomes everyone. The Pope returned to the theme of mercy just days after he announced the Extraordinary Jubilee of mercy, which will begin on 8 December and end on 20 November 2016.

Pope Francis reflected on the paradoxical contrast between Jesus who opens doors to whoever seeks Him – especially if they do not have a close relationship with Him – and Christians who often close the Church’s door in the face of those who come knocking.

The Pope took his cue from the water theme present in today’s liturgical readings: Francis defined it as “water that heals” as he commented on the description the Prophet Ezekiel gives of a bead of sweat on the temple turned into an impetuous torrent, whose waters, filled with fish, could heal anyone. Then there is the water in the pool of Bethesda described in today’s Gospel. Near the pool lived a lame and depressed – and according to Francis also “lazy” – man who had been there for 38 years and had never managed to dive in when the waters moved: in other words, he never found the way to heal or at least to seek healing. But Christ heals him, urging him “to go forth”; but his act is criticised by the doctors of the law because the “healing operation” took place on a Saturday.

We see this “story” repeated over and over again even in today’s world, Francis siad: “A man or a woman who feels sick within their soul, sad, who may have committed many mistakes in their life, at a certain point feel the waters stirring, the Holy Spirit moves something or they hear a word or… ‘Ah, I would like to go!’… And they muster up the courage to go. And how many times does this person find closed doors within the Christian community: ‘You can’t, no, you can’t. You made a mistake and you can’t. If you want to come, come to Sunday mass but stay there and don’t do anything. And there you have it, Christians who think like doctors of the law destroy what the Holy Spirit does in people’s hearts.”

The Pope added: “This causes me great sadness,” adding that the Church always leaves its doors open. “It is the house of Jesus and Jesus welcomes,” he continued. “Not only does it welcome buti t goes out to seek people. And if people are wounded, what does Jesus do? Does he tell them off for being wounded? No, he comes and carries them. This is what mercy is. This is what God is talking about – “I want mercy, not sacrifice!” – when He scolds his people.”

“Who are you to close the door of your heart to a man or a woman who wants to change, to join the community of God’s people once again, because the Holy Spirit has stirred something in their heart?” 

Francis concluded by expressing the hope that Lent will help people not commit the mistake of those who scorn Christ’s love for the lame man just because it is against the law: “In today’s Mass, let us ask the Lord to help each of us and the entire Church convert toward Jesus, convert to Jesus and convert to Jesus’ mercy. And so the Law will be fully implemented because the Law is to love God and our neighbours as we do ourselves.”

Today, from his Twitter account @Pontifex the Pope tweeted: "Let us allow God to fill our hearts with his goodness and mercy."