The Face of Mercy / Daniel Conway

No parking: Pope Francis tells ‘lazy Christians’ to keep moving

Last week, I wrote about Pope Francis’s admonition to the young Church (quoting sacred Scripture): “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you” (Gn 12:1). This is a frequent theme of this pope’s teaching. We are called to “go,” to abandon the comfort and security of our lives in order to “venture forth” even to the margins of human society.

In a recent homily, Pope Francis took this teaching a step forward, saying that Christians who forge ahead with hope in God have the strength to endure life’s dark moments. But the Holy Father also said that those of us who fail to move forward, or to fight for real change, are “stagnant.” He even used the term “lazy Christians” and Christians who are “lukewarm” in their faith to describe in vivid terms the consequences of our failure to leave our comfort zones and “go forth” proclaiming the joy of the Gospel.

According to Pope Francis, lazy Christians “have found in the Church a nice parking lot” for themselves. He likened their situation to “living in a refrigerator” that keeps things just as they are. The pope said that it reminds him of an old saying in his native land that warns that stagnant water is the first to go bad.

Why is Pope Francis so concerned about Christians who are “parked,” making no real progress in the pilgrim journey that is Christian life? Because he sees the opportunities that are lost—both in the lives of Christians themselves and in the works of mercy that are not carried out because of our self-centeredness.

Sacred Scripture condemns behavior that is stagnant: “I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, ‘I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,’ and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see” (Rev 3:15–18).

Too often, we fool ourselves thinking that we are good Christians who rightly enjoy the security of a decent life. We don’t realize that our comfort and our indifference to the needs of others have made us lazy or lukewarm in our Christian life.

Jesus abhors this kind of indifference. He makes it very clear that his disciples are not to be insipid or tasteless: “You are the salt of the Earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lamp stand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Mt 5:15–18).

Pope Francis reminds us that a true Christian life is courageous, built on hope. It is a commitment to move confidently forward in spite of the storms we encounter along the way.

The Church is not “a nice parking lot.” It is a roadway designed to support us in the sometimes perilous journey to our heavenly home. As a pilgrim people, we are called to support, encourage and assist each other as we travel on the road to heaven.

No parking allowed. We must keep moving forward in hope, the pope says, “fighting, enduring the storm and looking ahead upon an open horizon.”

When we stumble and fall, the grace of Christ will lift us up and sustain us on our way. When we are weary or discouraged, the joyful spirits of our sisters and brothers will revive us and help us to keep moving forward.

Let’s not be lazy Christians. Let’s be bold and energetic as we follow Jesus on the road to life!
 

(Daniel Conway is a member of The Criterion’s editorial committee.) †