Pope Francis explains "the road against the spirit of the world is only one: Humility. Serving others, choosing the last place, not climbing ".

POPE FRANCIS

MORNING MEDITATION IN THE CHAPEL OF
DOMUS SANCTAE MARTHAE

The biggest is who serves, not who has the most titles

Tuesday, February 25, 2020

You cannot live the Gospel by making compromises, otherwise you end up with the spirit of the world, which points to the dominion of others and is "enemy of God"; but you have to choose the path of service. The Pope's reflection, in the homily of Tuesday 25 February, at Mass at Casa Santa Marta, started from the passage from the Gospel (Mk 9, 30-37) in which Jesus tells the Twelve that if one wants to be the first he is called to make himself last and servant of all.

Jesus knew that along the way the disciples had argued among themselves about who was the greatest "by ambition". This quarrel by saying "I must go on, I must go up," explained the Pope, is the spirit of the world. But even the first reading of the liturgy of the day (Jas 4, 1-10) follows this aspect, when the apostle James recalls that love for the world is an enemy of God. "This anxiety of worldliness - observed the Pope - this anxiety to be more important than others and to say: “No! I deserve this, the other does not deserve it. " This is worldliness, this - he continued - is the spirit of the world and who breathes this spirit breathes the enmity of God. " «Jesus, in another passage, says to the disciples:" Either you are with me or you are against me. " There are no compromises in the gospel. And when one wants to live the Gospel by making compromises - he commented - in the end he finds himself with the worldly spirit, which always tries to make compromises to climb more, to dominate, to be bigger ».

So many wars and many quarrels come precisely from worldly desires, from passions, the Pope highlighted, still referring to the words of St. James. It is true «today the whole world is sown by wars. But the wars that are between us? Like the one that was among the apostles: who is the most important? "Asked Francis. «“ Look at the career I have done: I can't go back now! ”. This is the spirit of the world and this is not Christian. "No! It's my turn! I have to earn more to have more money and more power. " This is the spirit of the world ", stressed the Pontiff. «And then, the wickedness of the chatter: the gossip. Where is he from? From envy. The great envious - Francis reiterated - is the devil, we know it, the Bible says so. From envy. Evil enters the world through the devil's envy. Envy is a worm that pushes you to destroy, to speak out, to destroy the other. "

In the dialogue of the disciples there were all these passions and for this, said Francis, Jesus reproaches them and urges them to become servants of all and to take the last place: "Who is the most important in the Church? - he asked - The Pope, the bishops, the monsignors, the cardinals, the parish priests of the most beautiful parishes, the presidents of the lay associations? No! The greatest in the Church is the one who makes himself servant of all, the one who serves all, not who has more titles. And to make this clear, he took a child, placed him in their midst and, embracing him with tenderness - because Jesus spoke with tenderness, he had so much - he said to them: "Whoever welcomes a child, welcomes me", that is, who welcomes the humblest , the most servant. This is the road ", said Francis, stressing again that" the road against the spirit of the world is only one: humility. Serving others, choosing the last place, not climbing ".

We must not therefore "negotiate with the spirit of the world", we must not say: "I am entitled to this place, because you look at the career I have done". Indeed, worldliness, the Pope concluded, "is an enemy of God". Instead, we must listen to this word "so wise" and encouraging that Jesus says in the Gospel: "If one wants to be the first be the last of all, and the servant of all".
* from: www.obsatoreromano.va

L'Osservatore Romano, ed. daily, Year CLX, n. 46, 26/02/2020