At the Angelus in St. Peter’s Square, Francis made a new call to “stop and negotiate” to bring peace to the Ukrainian people, “aggressed and tormented”. “The arms trade is a scandal to which we must not and cannot resign ourselves.” The warning about the temptation of greed: what inheritance do I want to leave after me?
Vatican City () – “Material goods, money, riches can become a cult, a true idolatry”. And wars “almost always have to do with the desire for resources and wealth.” Pope Francis said it today addressing the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the Angelus prayer.
The pontiff took the opportunity to thank the good reception that had his “penitential pilgrimage” to Canada, which ended yesterday. And he thanked those who joined him in prayer. “Even during the trip,” he added, “I did not stop praying for the Ukrainian people, who have been attacked and tormented. I ask God to free them from the scourge of war.” If you look at reality objectively, taking into account the damage that each day of war causes for that population but also for the entire world, the only reasonable thing to do would be to stop and negotiate. May wisdom inspire concrete steps of peace,” he said.
Before the Angelus, Francis commented on the passage from the Gospel of Luke that proposes today’s liturgy, and deals with a dispute over inheritance (Lk 12:13). The pontiff invited to meditate on Jesus’ invitation to get away from all greed. “What is it? – he asked – It is the unbridled greed for goods, the desire to always get rich, a disease that destroys people, because the hunger for possessions creates dependency. He who has a lot is never satisfied: he always wants more, and only for himself. But he is no longer free that way: he is attached, he is a slave to what he paradoxically needed to live free and serene”.
Greed is a dangerous disease not only for individuals, but also for society: “Because of it – Francis commented – today we have reached other paradoxes, an injustice like never before in history, where few have so much and many have little or nothing. Let’s think about how many interests there are behind a war. Without a doubt, one of them is the arms trade. This trade is a scandal to which we should not and cannot resign ourselves”.
Jesus teaches us that, at the bottom of all this, “there is not just a few powerful people or certain economic systems,” Francis continued. “Greed is in the heart of everyone.” Hence the invitation for each of us to ask ourselves: “Do I complain about what I lack or am I content with what I have? Am I tempted to sacrifice relationships and time for others, in the name of money and opportunities? And again, am I tempted to sacrifice legality and honesty on the altar of greed?” Altar, because -precisely- material goods can become a cult. “Jesus says you can’t serve two masters,” he observed. He added that when he speaks of two masters, he doesn’t say “God and the devil, or good and evil, but God and riches.”
But then you can’t want to be rich? ‘Of course, it is fair to wish for it,’ replied the pontiff, ‘but rich according to God, who is the richest of all: he is rich in compassion, in mercy. His wealth does not impoverish anyone, it does not create fights or divisions. It is a wealth that he loves to give, to distribute, to share”. And he invited us to ask ourselves again:” What inheritance do I want to leave? Money in the bank, material things, or happy people around me, good deeds that are not forgotten, people I have helped to grow and mature?
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