Pope Francis: Many ‘mummified’ or ‘vagabond’
Christians.
(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis
lamented on Tuesday that there are many following Christianity in a confused
way, forgetting that Jesus is the only true path. He said these include the
motionless or 'mummified' Christians, the vagabond and stubborn Christians and
the Christians who stop half way along their journey. The Pope was speaking
during his homily at morning Mass celebrated in the Santa Marta residence.
Taking his inspiration from
the gospel reading where Jesus tells the Apostles that “I am the way,” Pope
Francis reflected on the need for Christians to consistently follow Jesus and
not get waylaid or blocked on their journey of faith. He said there are
many different types of Christians who are following Jesus in a confused manner
like the mummified Christian, the vagabond Christian, the stubborn Christian
and the half way Christian.
Turning to an examination of
these different types of Christians, the Pope pointed first to the Christian
who doesn’t move or journey forward and who gives the idea, he said, of being
like an (embalmed) mummy.
“Christians who stay still,
who don't go forward, are non-Christian Christians. We don’t know exactly what
they are. They are slightly ‘paganized’ Christians: who are there, who stay
still and don’t go forward in their Christian lives, who don’t make the
Beatitudes bloom in their lives, who don’t do Works of mercy… they are
motionless. Excuse me for saying it, but they are like an (embalmed) mummy, a spiritual
mummy there. There are Christians who are ‘spiritual mummies,’ motionless,
there. They don’t do evil but they don’t do good things.”
Moving on to a description of
the stubborn Christian, the Pope said these types of Christians realize that
they are taking the wrong direction but worst still they insist it’s the right
path and don’t heed the voice of our Lord, telling them to turn back and take
the correct path. The next category, he explained, are the vagabond Christians
who travel here and there but doesn’t know where they are going.
“They are wanderers in the
Christian life, vagabonds. During their life they turn here and there and thus
lose the beauty of drawing close to Jesus in the Jesus’ life. They lose their
way because they are constantly turning and often this turning is wrong and
takes them to a dead end. Turning so many times, (the road) becomes a labyrinth
and then they don’t know how to get out. They have lost that call from Jesus.
They don't have a compass to get out and they keep on turning and searching.
There are other Christians who whilst journeying are seduced by the beauty of
an object and they stop half way, fascinated by what they see, by some idea, a
proposal or a landscape. And they stop! Christian life is not a fascination:
it’s the truth! It’s Jesus Christ!”
After looking at these
different types of Christians, Pope Francis said we’d do well to examine our
own lives and question whether we too have stopped or lost our way. Are we
standing in front of the things that we like such as worldliness and vanity or
are we journeying forward and “putting into practice the beatitudes and Works
of mercy” in our daily life? He concluded by saying that Jesus’ way “is full of
consolations, glory and also the Cross. But always with peace in our souls.”
“Today let us ponder this
question just for five minutes... How am I doing on this Christian
journey? Am I standing still, making mistakes, turning here and there,
stopping in front of the things that I like, or (am I following) Jesus who said
“I who am the Way.’? And let us implore the Holy Spirit to teach us to
journey along the right road, forever! And when we get tired, a little
refreshment and then we carry on our journey. Let us ask for this grace.”
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