#Francis’ sermon to

[maloubelou]

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Giotto (ca. 1267-1337)

"St. Francis' sermon to the birds", detail panel from "Saint Francis Receiving the Stigmata", ca. 1295-1300

[tabernacleheart]

In his homily [on the feast of Divine Mercy], Pope Francis noted that St. Faustina said Jesus told her, “I am love and mercy itself; there is no human misery that could measure up to my mercy.” [Pope Francis continued, reminding us that] the Lord always patiently and faithfully waits for people to recognize their failings and sins and to offer them to Him so that He can help us experience His mercy… Even the disciples, and especially St. Thomas, experienced fear and doubt, failing to believe in the Risen Lord right away. [But] Jesus doesn't scold them with a sermon because He wants us to see Him not as a taskmaster with whom we have to settle accounts, but as our father who always raises us up, just like any father would when his child falls. The hand that always puts us back on our feet is mercy: God knows that without mercy we will remain on the ground, that in order to keep walking, we need to be put back on our feet... [thus] the most beautiful message on the feast of Divine Mercy comes from St. Thomas, “the disciple who arrived late,” but for whom the Lord waited, not leaving Him behind.

Carol Glatz

[wisdomfish]

Let's be honest: If you combine a charismatic speaker, a talented worship band, and some hip, creative events, people will attend your church. Yet this does not mean that the Holy Spirit of God is actively working and moving in the lives of the people who are coming. It simply means that you have created a space that is appealing enough to draw people in for an hour or two on Sunday. It certainly does not mean that people walk out the doors moved to worship and in awe of God. People are more likely to describe the quality of the music or the appeal of the sermon than the One who is the reason people gather for "church" in the first place.

Francis Chan, Forgotten God: Reversing Our Tragic Neglect of the Holy Spirit, [David C. Cook (September 1, 2009)], p. 31