In his Tuesday homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis spoke about the grace of a 'healthy shameâ? in response to sin of vanity and worldly desires to get ahead or be more important than others.
POPE FRANCIS
'May the Lord give us the grace of shame, of holy shame, when we find ourselves in that situation of temptation and to be ashamed: â??But am I able to think such a thing? When I see my Lord on the cross and I would want to use the Lord to climb the ladder? May God give us the grace of the simplicity of a child.â?
The pope invited the faithful to ponder the meaning of being an 'unworthy servantâ? both at work and within the Church, to think of others instead of trying to rise above them.
EXCERPTS OF PAPAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'These were good people, who wanted to follow and serve the Lord. But they did not realize that the path of service to the Lord was not an easy one. It wasnâ??t like becoming part of a group, some charitable group doing good: No, it was something else. They were afraid of this. It happened, happens, and will happen. Let us think about infighting in a parish: â??I want to be the president of this association, in order to climb the ladder. Who is the greatest here? Who is the greatest in this parish? No, I am the most important here; not that person there because he did somethingâ?¦â?? And that is the chain of sin.â?
'Sometimes we priests say ashamedly within our presbyteries: â??I want that parishâ?¦ But the Lord is hereâ?¦ But I want that oneâ?¦â?? It is the same. It isnâ??t the way of the Lord but the path of vanity, of worldliness. The same occurs even among us bishops: worldliness comes as a temptation. Many times [it is said]: â??I am in this diocese but look at how important that one isâ?? and I try to influence someone, or put pressure, to get somewhereâ?¦But the Lord is there.â?
'May the Lord give us the grace of shame, of holy shame, when we find ourselves in that situation of temptation and to be ashamed: â??But am I able to think such a thing? When I see my Lord on the cross and I would want to use the Lord to climb the ladder? And may God give us the grace of the simplicity of a child. I imagine a final question: â??Lord, I have served you all my life. I have been the last all my life. And now what? What does the Lord say? Tell yourself: â??I am an unworthy servant.â??â?
