In his Tuesday morning Mass, Pope Francis talked about the way Jesus lived. That included, not being ashamed of being amongst the people.
POPE FRANCIS
'Jesus wasn't a professor, a teacher or a mystic who kept away from people as He spoke from afar. No, he was among the people. He would let people touch Him and ask Him questions. That's how Jesus is. He is close to the people.â?
The Pope then added that Jesus prayed a lot for his disciples and above all else, for sinners.
SUMMARY OF POPE'S HOMILY:
(Source: Vatican Radio)
Jesus is not a professor who speaks from the professorâ??s chair; rather, He goes among the people and lets them touch Him so that they can be healed. That was Pope Francisâ?? message at Mass this morning at Santa Marta.
Commenting on the dayâ??s Gospel, Pope Francis reflected on three moments in the life of Jesus. The first is prayer. Jesus 'spent the night in prayer to God.â? Jesus prays for us. 'It seems a little strange,â? the Pope said, 'that He who came to give us salvation, who has the power, prays to the Father.â? And He prayed often. 'Jesus is the great intercessorâ?:
'He stands before the Father in this moment, praying for us. And this should give us courage! Because in moments of difficulty or of needâ?¦ [He] is praying: â??But you are praying for me. Pray for me. Jesus, pray for me to the Father!â?? It is His work today: praying for us, for His Church. We often forget this, that Jesus prays for us.
This is our strength: to be able to say to the Father, â??But if you, Father, will not consider us, consider your Son who prays for us.â?? From the first moment Jesus prays: He prayed when He was on earth and He continues to pray now for each one of us, for the whole Church.â?
After praying, Jesus chooses the twelve Apostles. The Lord says clearly, 'It was not you who chose Me; I chose you!â? 'This second moment,â? the Pope said, 'gives us courage: â??I am chosen, I am chosen by the Lord! On the day of Baptism He chose me.â?? And Paul, with this in mind, said: â??He chose me, from my motherâ??s wombâ??.â? So we Christians have been called:
'These are things of love! Love does not consider whether someone has an ugly face or a beautiful face: it loves! And Jesus does the same: He loves and chooses with love. He chooses all. In His list, no one is â??importantâ?? â?? in inverted commas â?? according to the criteria of the world: it is the common people.
But there is one thing, yes, one thing to emphasize about all of them: they are sinners. Jesus has chosen sinners. He chooses sinners. And this is the accusation made by the doctors of the law, the scribes: â??This man goes to eat with sinners, he talks to prostitutesâ?¦â?? Jesus calls everyone! Let us call to mind the parable of the wedding of the son. When those who were invited did not come, what did the master of the house do? The Gospel says he told his servants: â??Go out and bring everyone to the house, good and bad.â?? Jesus has chosen everyone.â?
