Pope: "a good Christian is just to the people who depend on him"
Vatican City (AsiaNews) "Love of God and love of neighbor are one in the same" and especially in Lent "fasting, is not just abstaining from meat" only to "fight with and exploit workers" and make offerings to the Church "on their shoulders". "This is a grave sin: it is using God to cover an injustice", said Pope Francis at Mass this morning at Casa Santa Marta, taking a cue from the passage in Isaiah where the people complained before the Lord because He does not heed their fasts.
The Pope stressed the need to distinguish between a "formal and a real" fast. For this reason, he explained, "Jesus condemned the Pharisees for making so many exterior observances, but without the truth of the heart." The true fasting mentioned in the first reading, he continued, is what truly "comes from the heart" that fulfills the commandment of love towards God and neighbor. "They are united: the love of God and the love of neighbor are united and if you want to do penance, real and not formal, you must do it in front of God and also with your brother, your neighbor," he said.
You can have a lot of faith, he said, but, like the Apostle James, if you "do not follow it up with action, it is a dead useless faith". So, if one goes to Mass every Sunday and receives communion, you can ask him: "And what is your relationship with your employees like? Are they all legal and above board? Do you pay them a just wage? Do you pay social insurance for their pensions? To guarantee them healthcare cover? ". " How many, how many men and women of faith, have faith yet divide the tablets of the law: 'Yes, yes I do this' - "But do you give alms?' - Yes, yes, I always send a check to the Church' - Ah, well, that's good," he said. "But to the Church, your home, with those who depend on you - be it children, grandparents, those who are dependents - are you generous, are you just?' You cannot make an offering to the Church on the shoulders of the injustice that you do to your dependents. This is a grave sin: it is using God to cover injustice".
"And this is what the
prophet Isaiah helps us to understand today in the Lord's name": "a
person who does not to justice to the people who depend on him is not a good
Christian". A person who does not strip himself of something his needs to
give to someone else who needs it more, is not a good Christian". This is the journey
of Lent "this pairing of God and neighbor: that is, it is real, not merely
formal. It is not only abstinence from eat meat on Friday, doing a little
something, and then growing in selfishness, exploiting others, ignoring the
poor. "There are those who, when they need to see a doctor, they go to the hospital and because they have cover
are immediately seen". "This is a
good thing, thank the Lord. But, tell me, have you thought of those who do not
have this social relationship with the hospital and when they arrive they have
to wait six, seven, eight hours?", Even "for something urgent".
And there are people here, in Rome, he warned who are living like this, and
during Lent "we should think of them: what can I do for the children, for the
elderly, who do not have the opportunity to be seen by a doctor?" , who
may wait "eight hours and then they give them an appointment a week later".
"What are you going to do for those people? How will your Lent be?"
"Thank God I have a family who follows the commandments, we have no
problems ..." - " is there a place in
your heart for those who have not fulfilled the commandments? Who made a
mistake and are in prison." "Do those imprisoned have a place [in
your heart]?" he continued. "Do you pray for them, so that the Lord
help them to change their life?' Accompany, Lord, on our Lenten path so that
the exterior observance corresponds to a profound renewal in Spirit. So we pray. May the Lord give us this
grace. "
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12/01/2020 12:17
