Pope Francis: “Listen to what God is telling you”

“Open up your heart and listen to what God is saying to you. Allow your life to “written” by God”. Just as the Good Samaritan did when he stopped to help the stranger, we must all listen to God’s voice and sometimes put our own projects on hold to do his will.

Speaking to those present for morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta on Monday, Pope Francis pointed out that it can happen that Christians, Catholics, priests. Bishops and even the Pope sometimes turn away from God!

Not to listen to his voice, not to take heed in our hearts of his proposal and his invitation– the Pope said – is a daily temptation. And he said there are many ways in which one can turn away from God, polite, sophisticated ways… And to better illustrate his message, Pope Francis recalled the parable recounted in the Gospel in which there is a half-dead man lying in the road. A priest walks by – a zealous priest wearing a cassock and on his way to say Mass. The priest looks at the man and says to himself “I will be late for Mass” and goes on his way. “He didn’t hear the voice of God” – Pope Francis pointed out.

Then a Levite passes by – the Pope continued – and perhaps he thinks “If I get involved and the man dies, then tomorrow I will have to before the judge and give testimony…” so, the Pope continued “he too goes on his way. He too – Francis points out - “turns away from the voice of God”…

Only the Samaritan, a sinner, someone who habitually turns away from God had the capacity “to hear God and to understand his request”. Someone – the Pope observes – “who wasn’t used to participating in religious rites, who didn’t lead a “moral” life, who was theologically “wrong”, because – Pope Francis explained – Samaritans believed that God should be adored elsewhere, not where the Lord had said”. And notwithstanding,“the Samaritan understood that God was calling him and he did not turn away. He went to the man, bound up his wounds, poured on oil and wine. He set him on his own animal, brought him to an inn and took care of him”. He gave up his whole evening for him.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis said, the priest was on time for Mass and the faithful were happy; the Levite’s schedule was not upset…. And the Pope asked: “why did Jonah run away from God when the Lord asked him to go to Ninevah and he boarded a ship to Spain? Why did the priest turn away from God? Why did the Levite turn away from God? Because their hearts were closed, and when your heart is closed you cannot hear the voice of God. Instead the Samaritan - said - “saw and was moved with compassion”: his heart was open, he was human, and humanity brought him close to God.

Those – Pope Francis said – who have a design for their lives, who want to map out their own stories – do not allow God to write their lives.

“I say to myself, and I say to you: do we let God write our lives? Or do we want to write it ourselves?” And he exhorted those listening “to be docile to the Word of God. To have the capacity to hear His voice and to listen to it.

Could he not allow that those 'designs' and determinations; for one's life that inspire many; are not just a more deep-seated' connnection to 'God's Will? Like maybe 'they' had that conversation - before they got here? (Or. . .while they were sleeping; dreaming. . .thinking?)

The Pope's personal 'Way' is admirable; but why dismiss; 'out of hand'; what could be someone elses 'God-inspired' journey. . .destiny?

Was excited, intially; with his becoming the Pope; then wondered - given more I read of his MO - if this man was not better suited to the life of a Monk; or just keeping to what seems an exemplary 'solo' spiritual journey.

(Spiritual 'egalitarian' thinking; suffers same inherent flaws/dangers/error; as does it's counterpart; in the 'real' world. . .)

Think he is at least ‘more’ of the mind; that everyone has allowed themselves; to be lead astray. . .and so, imagines his job, is to get ALL the sinners; ‘home’.

By it’s own grandiosity; a spiritual ‘error’ perhaps; but an admirable journey; if ‘solo’, and one does not ignore; that their ARE others who share the same road; albeit; see a somewhat different scenery - as they travel it.

Think he is at least ‘more’ of the mind; that everyone has allowed themselves; to be lead astray. . .and so, imagines his job, is to get ALL the sinners; ‘home’.

But, how do you get sinners home if you don't tell them where home is? Francis insists on telling sinners they are fine where they are, and that God loves their sins. Atheists are saved, not even in spite of atheism, but because of it. That isn't coming home, or being invited home. Just listen to the man himself:

You ask if the God of the Christians forgives those who do not believe and do not seek faith. Given that—and this is fundamental—God's mercy has no limits if he who asks for mercy does so in contrition and with a sincere heart, the issue for those who do not believe in God is in obeying their own conscience. In fact, listening and obeying it, means deciding about what is perceived to be good or to be evil. The goodness or the wickedness of our behavior depends on this decision.

Now, even ignoring the absurdity that an atheist who "does not believe and does not seek faith" cannot possibly "ask for mercy" much less with "contrition and a sincere heart," this is still an amazing statement. We are saved by doing good, which is not even objectively good, but good because we think it is good. Atheists are saved by being committed atheists, because "everyone has his own idea of good and evil and must choose to follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them" and we as Catholics are taught by this pope to "encourage people to move towards what they think is Good." Not only are we not to try to convert them, that would be evil, because we are now to actually encourage atheists to be the best atheists that they can be. It doesn't matter that what they think is good is evil, because this new gospel of salvation by works does not even include any objective good. Sorry all you Franciscan apologists, but if this tripe is not heresy then there is no longer any such thing as heresy.

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