Remember you have God’s DNA.
According to Vatican Radio, Pope Francis stressed this to faithful during his daily morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta, as he reflected on how ‘God created us as children in His image.’
Drawing inspiration from the Book of Genesis’ account of the Creation of man and woman, Francis recalled how God has given us His DNA and spoke about the first of three great gifts, which God gave humanity in Creation.
Our DNA as Children
«First of all, He gave us His ‘DNA’, that is, He made us His children, created us in His image, in His image and likeness, like Him. And when one makes a child, he cannot take it back: the son is made, he exists. And whether or not he resembles the father, he is a son; he has received his identity. If the child is good, his father is proud of that son, right?, ‘Look at how good he is!’
«And even if he is a little ugly,» Francis reasoned, «the father in any case says: ‘Isn’t he beautiful!’, because a father is like this. Always. And if the son is bad, the father justifies him, waiting for him »
Jesus, he noted, taught us how a father waits for his children. (He gave us the identity of a child: to ‘man and woman’, we must add the identity of ‘child’. We ‘are like gods’, because we are children of God.»
Earth entrusted to humanity
God’s second gift in Creation, Pope Francis said, is a ‘task,’ namely the work of advancing Creation.
«Not to destroy it; but to make it grow, to care for it, to keep it and make it carry on. He gave everything. It’s funny, I sometimes think, ‘He did not give us money.’ We have everything. Who gave us money? I don’t know.
«Grandmothers have this saying that ‘the devil enters through the pocket’. This may be… God gave humanity all of Creation to preserve it and care for it: this is the gift. And finally, ‘God created mankind in His image, male and female He created them.'»
Love
God’s third gift in Creation, the Pope stressed, is love. beginning with the love shared between a man and a woman.
“Male and female He created them. It is not good for the man to be alone. And He made his partner,” the Pope said. In love, God gives man love and a «dialogue of love», which, the Holy Father said, must have been the first between man and woman.
Pope Francis concluded, praying: «Let us thank God for these three gifts He has given us: an identity, a gift/duty, and love» and praying we «ask for the grace to preserve this identity of a child, to work with the gift He has given us and to advance this gift with our work, and the grace to learn to love ever more each day.»
«And even if he is a little ugly,» Francis reasoned, «the father in any case says: ‘Isn’t he beautiful!’, because a father is like this. Always. And if the son is bad, the father justifies him, waiting for him »
Jesus, he noted, taught us how a father waits for his children. (He gave us the identity of a child: to ‘man and woman’, we must add the identity of ‘child’. We ‘are like gods’, because we are children of God.»
Earth entrusted to humanity
God’s second gift in Creation, Pope Francis said, is a ‘task,’ namely the work of advancing Creation.
«Not to destroy it; but to make it grow, to care for it, to keep it and make it carry on. He gave everything. It’s funny, I sometimes think, ‘He did not give us money.’ We have everything. Who gave us money? I don’t know.
«Grandmothers have this saying that ‘the devil enters through the pocket’. This may be… God gave humanity all of Creation to preserve it and care for it: this is the gift. And finally, ‘God created mankind in His image, male and female He created them.'»
Love
God’s third gift in Creation, the Pope stressed, is love. beginning with the love shared between a man and a woman.
“Male and female He created them. It is not good for the man to be alone. And He made his partner,” the Pope said. In love, God gives man love and a «dialogue of love», which, the Holy Father said, must have been the first between man and woman.
Pope Francis concluded, praying: «Let us thank God for these three gifts He has given us: an identity, a gift/duty, and love» and praying we «ask for the grace to preserve this identity of a child, to work with the gift He has given us and to advance this gift with our work, and the grace to learn to love ever more each day.»
