I would like to say something. What do I expect as a consequence of the Youth Day? I expect a mess. There will be one. There will be a mess here in Rio? There will be! But I want a mess in the dioceses! I want people to go out! I want the Church to go out to the street! I want us to defend ourselves against everything that is worldliness, that is installation, that is comfortableness, that is clericalism, that is being shut-in in ourselves. The parishes, the schools, the institutions, exist to go out!
Messes aren't comfortable, nor do we like being uncomfortable, but if I have learned anything here, it's that if I am totally comfy and taking it easy, I'm not following Christ.
And faith in Jesus Christ isn’t a joke, it’s something very serious, it’s a scandal. That God came to make Himself one of us is a scandal! And that He died on the Cross is a scandal, the scandal of the Cross. The Cross continues to be a scandal, but the Cross is the only sure way, Jesus is the only sure way, Jesus’ Incarnation! Please, don’t liquefy faith in Jesus Christ! There is orange milk shake, apple milk shake, banana milkshake, but please, don’t take liquefied faith! The faith is whole, it’s not to be liquefied. It is faith in Jesus. It is faith in the Son of God made man, who loved me and died for me.
So much for domesticating our faith, which is so easy to do, especially in the States, because it is easier and more comfortable. Like CS Lewis says, Christ was either a lunatic, a liar, or the Son of God. Notice that nice teacher isn't on that list.
Have a blessed week and I pray that as the world see more of what Pope Francis has said we are all uncomfortable and challenged.
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