Pope Francis: The Church is a home for the lost
Posted by:
Catholic News Agency
Topics:
Pope Francis: The Church is a homeĀ for the lost
No one is lost to Jesus, neither should they be considered lost to the Church and her members, Pope Francis told Catholics in Albano Laziale Saturday.
The pope reflected on the story of Zacchaeus the tax collector, whom Jesus remembered, sought out, and invited to dine with him.
āIf we avoid those who seem lost to us, we are not of Jesus,ā he said Sept. 21. āWe ask for the grace to meet everyone as a brother and not to see anyone as an enemy.ā
āHow wonderful it would be if our neighbors and acquaintances felt the Church is their home!ā he added, speaking during Mass at the Cathedral of St. Pancras in Albano Laziale, a town just south of Rome on Lake Albano.
The pope visited the cathedral to mark its 159th anniversary of elevation to a minor basilica by Pope Pius IX in September 1865.
In his homily, Pope Francis said it is an easy temptation to close oneās circle, to become an elite group, ābut there are so many brothers and sisters who are homesick, who do not have the courage to approach, perhaps because they have not felt welcomed.ā
āThe Lord wants his Church to be a home among houses, a hospitable tent where every man, a wayfarer of life, meets Him who has come to dwell among us,ā he said, according to a Catholic News Agency report.
āWe give freely, we love the poor and those who cannot repay us,ā Francis urged, then āwe will be rich in the eyes of God.ā
He explained that Zacchaeus was probably hated by the people, āin their eyes, Zacchaeus was the worst…ā He added: āBut not in the eyes of Jesus, who calls him by his own name, Zacchaeus, which means āGod remembers.ā In the forgotten city, God remembers the greatest sinner.ā
And āthe Lord first of all remembers us,ā the pope went on. āHe does not forget us, he does not lose sight of us despite the obstacles that can keep us away from him. No obstacle makes Jesus forget the essential, the man to love and save.ā
āLike Jesus, do not be afraid to ācrossā your city, to go to those who are most forgotten, to those who are hidden behind the branches of shame, of fear, of loneliness, to tell them: āGod remembers you,āā he urged.
Pope Francis also emphasized that Jesus should be the priority. As the Church, he said, let us ask ourselves if Jesus or our own structures and agendas come first.
He advised that, āif like Zacchaeus you are looking for a meaning to life but, not finding it, [and] you are throwing yourself away with āsurrogates of love,ā such as riches, career, pleasure, some addiction, let yourself be looked at by Jesus.ā