Pope Francis: "God is not a master perched in heaven"

“Jesus, at the beginning of his mission (…), announces a precise choice: he came for the liberation of the poor and the oppressed. Thus, precisely through the Scriptures, he reveals to us the face of God as the One who takes care of our poverty and cares about our destiny ", he said. Papa Francesco during the mass for the third Sunday of the God's word.

"He is not a master perched in heaven, that ugly image of God, no, it is not like that, but a Father who follows in our footsteps - he stressed -. He is not a cold detached and impassive observer, a mathematical god, no, but the God-with-us, who is passionate about our life and is involved to the point of crying our tears ".

"He is not a neutral and indifferent God - he continued -, but the loving Spirit of man, who defends us, advises us, takes a stand in our favor, gets involved and compromises himself with our pain".

According to the Pontiff, “God is near and wants to take care of me, of you, of everyone (…). The neighbor God. With that closeness that is compassionate and tender, He wants to lift you from the burdens that crush you, He wants to warm the cold of your winters, He wants to light up your dark days, He wants to support your uncertain steps ".

"And he does it with his Word - he explained -, with which he speaks to you to rekindle hope in the ashes of your fears, to make you rediscover joy in the labyrinths of your sadness, to fill the bitterness of your loneliness with hope. ".

“Brothers, sisters - continued the Pope -, let us ask ourselves: do we carry this liberating image of God within our hearts, or do we think of him as a rigorous judge, a rigid customs officer of our life? Is ours a faith that generates hope and joy or is it still weighted down by fear, a fearful faith? Which face of God do we announce in the Church? The Savior who frees and heals or the Fearsome who crushes under guilt? ”.

For the Pontiff, the Word, "by telling us the story of God's love for us, frees us from fears and preconceptions about him, which extinguish the joy of faith", "breaks down false idols, unmasks our projections, destroys the too human representations of God and brings us back to his true face, to his mercy ”.

“The Word of God nourishes and renews faith - he added -: let's put it back at the center of prayer and spiritual life!”. And “precisely when we discover that God is compassionate love, we overcome the temptation to close ourselves in a sacral religiosity, which is reduced to external worship, which does not touch or transform life. This is idolatry, hidden, refined, but it is idolatry ”.