Christianity is not a “feel- good” philosophy. It is not an institution to do good works. It is a person, Jesus Christ. Good works are a consequence of Christianity, not a purpose.
Pope Francis made the point in a recent homily, “Christianity is not a philosophical doctrine. It’s not a program for life survival or education, or for peacemaking. These are consequences. Christianity is a person, a person raised on the cross, a person who annihilated himself to save us, who became sin.”
Christianity cannot be separated from the person of Jesus nor from the cross upon which he died for us. In the words of the Holy Father, “Just as sin was raised up in the desert, here God who was made man and made sin for us, was raised up. All our sins were there. You cannot understand Christianity without understanding this profound humiliation of the Son of God who humbled himself and became a servant unto death, even death on a cross, in order to serve us”
It has become a custom for people to wear the cross as a decoration, as an ornament, hung around their neck or printed on a T-shirt but, “The cross is not an ornament that we must always put in the churches, there on the altar. It is not a symbol that distinguishes us from others. The cross is mystery, the mystery of God who humbles himself, he becomes ‘nothing.’ He becomes sin. Where is your sin? ‘I don’t know, I have so many here.’ No, your sin is there, in the cross,” the Pope continued.
We are Christians because we have embraced the person of Jesus Christ who embraced us first. We are Christians because we are sinners who need forgiveness and healing. We do not become Christians to do good works. We do good works because in the words of St. Paul, “the love of Christ impels us.” (2 Cor. 5:14)
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