Pope Francis said in his Sunday Angelus speech that the fervour of religion should compel us to conversion rather than lull us into complacency.
The pope pondered on a passage from St. Luke in his weekly message on the gospel, saying that Jesus told his followers, “I have come to set the planet on fire, and how I wish it were already flaming!”
Francis declared on August 14 that “faith is not a ‘lullaby’ that lulls us to sleep, but rather a live flame to keep us up and active even at night.”
The pope spoke on the flame of faith while staring out a window that overlooked St. Peter’s Square.
He then offered a Latin Angelus, a traditional Marian prayer, before making some last comments.
When the Gospel is passed, heard, and embraced, he said, “The Gospel does not leave things as they are; things do not stay as they are. The Gospel calls for conversion and incites transformation.
Francis argues that the fire of the Gospel propels people to action rather than producing a false feeling of tranquilly.
He said, “It is like fire: although it warms us with God’s love, it wishes to burn our selfishness, to illuminate the dark aspects of life – we all have them — to devour the false idols that imprison us.
According to the pope, Jesus is calling everyone to have their faith renewed by the Gospel.
He used a passage from the 20th-century theologian and Jesuit priest Henri de Lubac’s book “The Discovery of God” to demonstrate his position.
He underlined that trust in God “reassures us,” as Father de Lubac had remarked, “but not on our level, or so as to cause a paralysing illusion, or a complacent contentment, but so as to allow us to act.”
He also advised everyone to assess their level of zeal for the Gospel, frequency of reading, and carry-along with it.
He posed the issue for consideration, “Does the religion I proclaim and celebrate bring me to smug calm or does it light the flame of witness in me?”
“As the Church, we might also ask ourselves this question: Does the fire of the Spirit burn in our neighbourhoods together with the fervour for prayer, almsgiving, and the pleasure of faith?
Or do we drag ourselves along out of habit and exhaustion while expressing our sorrow on our lips and with a glum expression? And is there daily gossip?
Francis urged us to conduct an introspective examination of these issues so that, like Jesus, we might declare, “We are inflamed with the fire of God’s love, and we want to spread it around the world, to take it to everyone, so that each person may discover the tenderness of the Father and experience the joy of Jesus, which enlarges the heart — and Jesus enlarges the heart — and makes life beautiful.
Pope Francis concluded by pleading for the Virgin Mary’s intervention.
He brought up a humanitarian problem in Somalia and several areas of the surrounding nations after the Angelus.
He said, “The inhabitants of this area are now in grave danger owing to drought. They already live in extremely difficult situations.
He expressed regret that fighting takes time and resources away from other locations and hoped that the international community will act to address the crisis.
He said that “the aims that need the greatest dedication” are the struggle against hunger and the advancement of health and education.
Also remembered by Pope Francis was the 20th anniversary of Saint Pope John Paul II’s entrusting of the world to Divine Mercy, which took place at the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Krakow, Poland, on August 17, 2002.
And we pray to God for “a] particular kindness, pity and compassion for the oppressed people of Ukraine,” he said.