Lukewarm Christians are those who want to build a church to their own
specifications, but it is not the Church of Jesus. In the Gospel from the liturgy
of the day many disciples truly believe the language of Jesus, they whisper, are
shocked and eventually leave the Master: "These people have turned away, they
are gone, they say, 'this man is a bit' strange, he says things that are hard…It 's
too big a risk to go down this road. We have common sense, eh? Let's go 'back a
little and not so close to Him'. These people, perhaps, had a certain admiration
for Jesus, but little 'from afar: not to meddle too much with this man, because
he says things that are a bit' strange ... ". These Christians - the Pope said - " are
not united in the Church, they do not walk in God's presence, they don’t have
the security of the Holy Spirit, they do not make up the Church": "They are
Christians of good sense only: they keep their distance. Christians - so to speak
they are - 'satellites', that have a small church, in size: to quote the words of
Jesus in Revelation, 'lukewarm Christians'. The indifference that is in the
Church ... They walk only in the presence of common sense, common sense ...
that worldly prudence: This is a temptation just worldly prudence." Pope
Francis reflected on so many Christians "that now bear witness to the name of
Jesus, even unto martyrdom." These - he says - are not 'Christian satellites',
because "they go with Jesus on the path of Jesus": "These people know exactly
what Peter says to the Lord. They understand exactly what Peter says the Lord,
when the Lord asks the question: 'Do you also want to go, be' Christian
satellites '?'. Simon Peter answers him: 'Lord, to whom shall we go? You have
the words of eternal life '. So from a large group there becomes a group a little
'smaller, but those who know perfectly well that they cannot go somewhere
else, because only He, the Lord, has the words of eternal life." The Pope finally
recites this prayer: "Let us pray for the Church, will continue to grow, unite, to
walk in the fear of God and with the security of the Holy Spirit. May the Lord
deliver us from the temptation of that 'common sense', and in inverted
commas, “the temptation to whisper against Jesus, because it is too
demanding, and the temptation from scandal. So be it.
