In his daily homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reflected on the mercy that God shows sinners, such as St. Paul before his conversion. He stated that the devil has nothing to do with the repentant sinner, as they know their total dependence on God, but he is strong in the hypocrite.
POPE FRANCIS
“'But look, what a scandal! You can’t live like that! We have lost our values. Now everyone has the right to enter into the church, even the divorced, everyone. But where are we?' The scandal of the hypocrites. This is the dialogue between the great love that forgives all, the love of Jesus.”
The pope stressed that God always forgives. He warned of how hypocrisy is the “workhorse of the devil” who tries to present himself as powerful and beautiful, but is really an “assassin.”
EXCERPTS OF PAPAL HOMILY
(Source: Vatican News)
“But how can she love? These people [sinners] do not know how to love.” [But] they seek love. And Jesus, speaking about these people, says – he once said – that they are before us, in the Kingdom of Heaven. 'But what a scandal!' – the Pharisees [say] – 'But these people!' Jesus looks upon the small gesture of love, the small gesture of good will, and takes it, and carries it forward. This is the mercy of Jesus: He always forgives, He always receives.”
“'But look, what a scandal! You can’t live like that! We have lost our values. Now everyone has the right to enter into the church, even the divorced, everyone. But where are we?' The scandal of the hypocrites. This is the dialogue between the great love that forgives all, the love of Jesus; and the love 'by halves' of Paul and of this woman, and also our love, which is an incomplete love because none of us is a canonized saint. Let’s be honest. It is hypocrisy: the hypocrisy of the 'just,' of the 'pure,' of those who believe they are saved by their own proper external merits.”
“And the Church, when it journeys through history, is persecuted by hypocrites: hypocrites within and without. The devil has nothing to do with repentant sinners, because they look upon God and say, 'Lord, I am a sinner, help me!' And the devil is impotent; but he is strong with hypocrites. He is strong, and he uses them to destroy, to destroy the people, to destroy society, to destroy the Church. The workhorse of the devil is hypocrisy, because he is a liar. He makes himself out to be a powerful prince, beautiful, and from behind he is an assassin.”
