In his homily at Casa Santa Marta, the pope warned of sin leading the heart to a spiritual death and to a point of no return, that is when sin becomes corruption.
POPE FRANCIS
'What do we feel in our hearts when we go on the street and see the homeless, we see children alone who beg...? 'No, but they are of that ethnicity who steal ...', I continue going. Do I do this? I believe that the homeless, the poor, the abandoned, even those well-dressed homeless because they have no money to pay the rent because they do not work ... what do I feel? This is part of the landscape, the landscape of a city, like a statue, the bus stop, the post-office, and also the homeless are part of the city? Is this normal? Be careful.'
He encouraged Christians to examine if their heart is on the 'slippery slopeâ? to destruction and to ask the Lord to help put it back on the path of righteousness.
EXCERPTS OF PAPAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican Radio)
'He knew who that poor man was, he even knew his name, but he just didnâ??t care. Was he a sinner? Yes, he was, and though the Lord forgives those who repent, this manâ??s heart was leading him on a one-way road to death. There is a moment, a line that we cross when sin turns into corruption. This man was not simply a sinner but a corrupt person because he was aware of all the suffering but he couldnâ??t care less. Damned are those who place their hope in themselves, because there is nothing more treacherous than a hardened heart. Once we are on that road, itâ??s very hard for our hearts to be healed.'
'What do we feel in our hearts when we go on the street and see the homeless, we see children alone who beg...? 'No, but they are of that ethnicity who steal ...', I continue going. Do I do this? I believe that the homeless, the poor, the abandoned, even those well-dressed homeless because they have no money to pay the rent because they do not work ... what do I feel? This is part of the landscape, the landscape of a city, like a statue, the bus stop, the post-office, and also the homeless are part of the city? Is this normal? Be careful. We must be careful when these things resonate in our hearts as normal.'
'We must be careful, because if we eat, drink and assuage our consciences by simply giving a coin and walking past, this is not the right way to go. Instead, he said, we must realize when we are on that slippery slope from sin to corruption. We must ask ourselves, what do I feel when I see on the news that a bomb has fallen on a hospital and lots of poor children have been killed? Do I just say a prayer and go on my way like before? Is my heart touched, or am I like the rich man whose heart was not touched by Lazarus but only the dogs had pity on him? If that is the case, we are on the road from sin to corruption.'
'For this reason, he concluded we must ask the Lord to look into our hearts to see if we are on that slippery slope to corruption, from which there is no return. Sinners can repent and turn back, he said, but it is very hard for those with closed and corrupt hearts, so let us pray that the Lord will show us which road we are following.'
