{"id":17353,"date":"2016-09-07T07:12:21","date_gmt":"2016-09-07T07:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.acnmalta.org\/?p=17353"},"modified":"2016-09-07T07:12:21","modified_gmt":"2016-09-07T07:12:21","slug":"pope-the-church-does-not-need-lukewarm-christians-acnmalta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acnmalta.org\/_oldsite\/2016\/09\/07\/pope-the-church-does-not-need-lukewarm-christians-acnmalta\/","title":{"rendered":"\u00a0Pope \u201cThe Church does not need lukewarm Christians\u201d &#8211; ACNMalta"},"content":{"rendered":"<style type=\"text\/css\"><\/style><h2><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><strong>Pope \u201cThe Church does not need lukewarm Christians\u201d<\/strong><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Pope Frances has some stern words for those who claim to be Christians but do not live their faith The Church does not need \u201ccold or lukewarm Christians\u201d who are held back by fear, said Francis . It needs Christians who are on fire with the Holy Spirit and committed to proclaiming the Gospel, even if it costs them their lives.<\/p>\n<p>Church needs \u201cpassionate missionaries, consumed by zeal to bring the consoling Word of Jesus and his grace to everyone,\u201d the Pope stated and added \u201cThis is the fire of the Holy Spirit. If the Church does not receive this fire, or allow it to enter, it becomes a cold or lukewarm Church, incapable of giving life, since it is made of cold or lukewarm Christians.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Francis expressed his admiration for the many priests, consecrated, and lay faithful, \u201cwho, throughout the world, are dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel with great love and loyalty, often even at the cost of their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Pope\u2019s declaration was inspired by Jesus&#8217; words: \u201cI have come to set the earth on fire.\u201d Francis explained how the fire about which Jesus speaks is that of the \u201cHoly Spirit, the living and working presence in us from the day of our Baptism.\u201d This fire is a \u201ccreative force which purifies and renews,\u201d as it burns away every human misery, egoism, and sin, he said. \u201cIt transforms us from within, regenerates us, and makes us capable of love.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cJesus wants the Holy Spirit to burn like fire in our hearts, because it is only from the heart that the fire of Divine love can strengthen and advance the Kingdom of God,\u201d Pope Francis said. By opening ourselves completely to the Holy Spirit, we will be given the the \u201ccourage and zeal to proclaim to everyone Jesus, and his consoling message of mercy and salvation.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Holy Spirit keeps the Church from being \u201cheld back by fear and calculations\u201d or becoming accustomed to staying within secure confines, he said. \u201cThe Apostolic courage which the Holy Spirit ignites in us as a fire helps us overcome walls and barriers, makes us creative,\u201d and spurs us along \u201cunexplored or uncomfortable paths, offering hope to those we meet.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pope Francis said the fire of the Holy Spirit brings us to those who suffer and experience problems, including migrants and refugees. \u201cWe are called to become ever more a community of persons who are guided and transformed by the Holy Spirit,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Francis stated that now more than ever there is a need for priests, consecrated men and women, and lay faithful \u201cwho, throughout the world, are dedicated to the proclamation of the Gospel with great love and loyalty, often even at the cost of their lives.\u201d Their exemplary witness was a reminder that the Church does not need bureaucrats or meticulous officials but rather \u201cpassionate missionaries, consumed by zeal to bring the consoling Word of Jesus and his grace to everyone.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0\u201cThis is the fire of the Holy Spirit,\u201d he declared. \u201cIf the Church does not receive this fire, or allow it to enter, it becomes a cold or only\u00a0 Church, incapable of giving life, since it is made of cold or lukewarm Christians.\u201d Francis spoke about the \u201cmartyr of charity,\u201d Saint Maximilian Kolbe, saying \u201cMay he teach us to live the fire of love for God and for the other.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Pope Francis encouraged the faithful to ask themselves whether their own hearts are cold or lukewarm, and if they are capable of receiving this fire of the Holy Spirit. He concluded by appealing for the Virgin Mary&#8217;s intercession that the Holy Spirit might pour on all believers the \u201cDivine fire which ignites hearts, and helps us be in solidarity with the joys and sufferings of our brothers and sisters.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000;\"><em><strong>\u00a0ACN Malta<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pope \u201cThe Church does not need lukewarm Christians\u201d &nbsp; Pope Frances has some stern words for those who claim to be Christians but do not live their faith The Church does not need \u201ccold or lukewarm Christians\u201d who are held back by fear, said Francis . It needs Christians who are on fire with the&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17355,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-e-newsletters"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>\u00a0Pope \u201cThe Church does not need lukewarm Christians\u201d - ACNMalta - Aid to the Church in Need (Malta)<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/acnmalta.org\/_oldsite\/2016\/09\/07\/pope-the-church-does-not-need-lukewarm-christians-acnmalta\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"\u00a0Pope \u201cThe Church does not need lukewarm Christians\u201d - ACNMalta - Aid to the Church in Need (Malta)\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Pope \u201cThe Church does not need lukewarm Christians\u201d &nbsp; Pope Frances has some stern words for those who claim to be Christians but do not live their faith The Church does not need \u201ccold or lukewarm Christians\u201d who are held back by fear, said Francis . 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