Pope Francis: Humility needed to avoid preaching watered-down Gospel

26 Apr 2017

By The Record

Pope Francis celebrates his morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae at the Vatican. Photo: L’Osservatore Romano

By Junno Arocho Esteves

The only way to give an authentic witness of Christ’s death and resurrection is by sharing the Gospel with humility, Pope Francis said on 25 April during morning Mass in the chapel of Domus Sanctae Marthae.

Christians who preach must resist the temptation of power, pride and worldliness, which can lead to “preaching a watered-down Gospel without strength, a Gospel without Christ crucified and risen,” the Holy Father said.

“Why is this humility necessary?” he asked. “Precisely because we bring forward a proclamation of humiliation, of glory but through humiliation.”

The Pope reflected on the day’s reading from the First Letter of Peter (5:5-14) in which the apostle calls on the early Christian communities to be vigilant and resist the devil who is prowling around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

“True preachers of the Gospel are always out on the road and going out of their way to proclaim Jesus Christ despite the risks and suffering they may endure,” the Pope said.

“There is no life insurance for preachers. And if a preacher seeks life insurance, he is not a true preacher of the Gospel; he does not go out, he remains secure.

“Although there is always some form of temptation and even persecution when evangelizing, it is the Lord who picks us up, who gives us strength,” the Pontiff said.

Pope Francis added that it is Jesus who will always strengthen those who go out of their way to “preach Christ crucified” if done with “true humility.”

“May the Lord give us this grace, as baptised people, all of us, of taking this path of evangelisation with humility, trusting in him, announcing the true Gospel: ‘The Word was made flesh,'” the Pope said.