In his morning homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis explained the obstacles that prevent Christians from being Christ's disciples.
POPE FRANCIS
'Jesus has taught us that the one who leads should become the one who serves. Or, if one wants to be the first, let him be the servant of all. Jesus turns the values of the world upside-down. And this desire for power is not the way to become a servant of the Lord. On the contrary, it is an obstacle, one of these obstacles that we have asked the Lord to remove from us.'
The pope also recalled that attachment to money also prevents people from reaching God. He further stated that all people commit sins, but that being disloyal to Christ is deceptive game that only moves one away from God.
SUMMARY OF PAPAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'But how often, do we see or hear ourselves saying, even in our own homes, that 'Iâ??m in charge here?' Jesus has taught us that the one who leads should become the one who serves. Or, if one wants to be the first, let him be the servant of all. Jesus turns the values of the world upside-down. And this desire for power is not the way to become a servant of the Lord. On the contrary, it is an obstacle, one of these obstacles that we have asked the Lord to remove from us.â?
'Jesus told us that we cannot serve two masters â?? God and money, the pope warned, so we have to choose to serve one or the other. Dishonesty, he continued, is not just being a sinner, since we are all sinners and can repent of those sins. But dishonesty, he said, is being duplicitous and playing one hand off against the other, playing the â??Godâ?? card and the â??worldâ?? card at the same time.â?
'These obstacles of dishonesty and the pursuit of power, take away our peace of mind and leave us anxious, with an â??itchâ?? in our hearts. In this way, he said, we live in constant tension, concerned only about appearances and the worldly desires of fame and fortune. We cannot serve the Lord like this, he insisted, so we ask to be freed from these obstacles in order that we may find serenity of body and mind.â?
'We are not slaves, but children of God, and when we serve Him freely we feel deep peace in our hearts. We hear the voice of the Lord calling 'Come, come, come, good and faithful servantâ?. We all want to be faithful servants of the Lord, he said, but we cannot do it on our own and so we ask God for the grace to overcome these obstacles and to serve Him freely with peace in our hearts.â?
'We must constantly remind ourselves that we are unworthy servants, unable to do anything on our own. Instead, he said, we must ask God to open our hearts and let the Spirit in, to remove these obstacles and to transform us into children whose hearts are free to serve the Lord.â?
