In his homily at Casa Santa Marta, the Pope said that the Church must be poor and humble, like the widow in the parable who gave everything she had. He explained that the Church must not shine its own light, but that of Christ.
POPE FRANCIS
'Everything we do in the Church is to help us in this, to help us receive that light. Service without this light is no good: it makes the Church rich, or powerful, or makes the Church seek power, or take the wrong road, as has happened many times in history. Just like what happens in our lives, when we want to have another light, which is not exactly that of the Lord, when we seek our own light'.
The Pope added that the times when the Church shined with its own light, it always failed. However, upon recognizing its faults, the Church can remain faithful.
EXCERPT OF THE POPE'S HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'I like to see the Church in this figure, the Church which is, in a sense, a widow, because she waiting for her Bridegroom who will return ... But she has her Bridegroom in the Eucharist, in the Word of God, in the poor, yes: but she is still waiting for his return. This is the attitude of the Church... This widow was not important, the widowâ??s name did not appear in the newspapers. No one knew her. She had no university degrees... nothing. Nothing. She didnâ??t shine of her own light. This is what makes me see the Church in the figure of this woman. The Church must not shine on her own light, but the light that comes from her Bridegroom. That comes right from her Bridegroom. And over the centuries, when the Church wanted to have her own light, she was wrongâ?.
'Everything we do in the Church is to help us in this, to help us receive that light. Service without this light is no good: it makes the Church rich, or powerful, or makes the Church seek power, or take the wrong road, as has happened many times in history, as happens in our lives, when we want to have another light, which is not exactly that of the Lord: a light of our own'.
'When the Church is humble, when the Church is poor, even when the Church confesses her wretchedness â?? we all experience this â?? then the Church is faithful. The Church says: â??I am dark, but my light comes from there!' This does us all good. Let us pray to this widow who is certainly in Heaven, to teach us to be the Church like this, giving everything we have in life: leaving nothing for us. Everything for the Lord and for others. Humble. Without boasting of having our own light, always seeking the light that comes from the Lord'.
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