Too often we are “miracle mongers,” in search of a Messiah at our beck and call …Pope Francis says that the world is in need of Christians who follow their faith, serving their neighbors and accepting God’s will, rather than “miracle mongers” looking for a Messiah at their personal service.
The pope said this February 3, reflecting on the passage of Luke’s Gospel where the residents of Nazareth reject Jesus because “isn’t this the Son of Joseph?”
“Jesus, with his capacity to penetrate minds and hearts, immediately understands what his countrymen are thinking,” the pope explained. “They believe that, since he is one of them, he should demonstrate this strange ‘ostentation’ by doing miracles there, in Nazareth, as he had done in neighboring towns. But Jesus does not want to accept, and cannot accept, this logic, because it does not correspond to God’s plan: God wants faith, they want miracles, signs; God wants to save everyone, and they want a Messiah at their service.”
The Holy Father reflected that today as well, the world needs Christians ready to follow the “logic” of faith.
The world needs to see true “disciples of the Lord,” Francis said, “… courageous and persevering in responding to the Christian vocation.”
The world needs people who “follow the ‘push’ of the Holy Spirit, who sends them to proclaim hope and salvation to the poor and excluded, people who follow the logic of faith and not miracle mongering, people dedicated to the service of all.”
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