In the Gospel reading of June 26, 2022, we hear of Jesus being rejected by the Samaritans. His hot-headed apostles, James and John, react with a desire to "rain down fire from heaven." Jesus chooses a different way.
Pope Francis reflected on this lesson today before leading the midday Angelus.
The apostles, he said, "allow themselves to be overcome by anger."
But, the Holy Father continued:
Pope Francis suggested that we do a little self-examination about how far along we've come with this self-mastery.
The Pope said that at the heart of this difficulty can be a false reason for doing good, or for our religious fervor.
Thus, Pope Francis invited us to pray to be like Jesus: